Men in close contact shook their right hands to prove that they did not have weapons on them. Many agree that the handshake started hundreds of years ago when men moved around with weapons. Like other frequent hand gestures, its origin is somewhat disputed. Ī handshake is the most common hand gesture out there. The British Navy salutes with the palm downward because sailors often had dirty palms. military salute is based on the British Navy salute. military that salutes with the palm facing downward, British soldiers salute with the palm facing outward. The British army later formalized the gesture and turned it into the salute that we know today. Junior soldiers started slapping their hats to greet senior soldiers because removing the hats was a chore. This became an issue in the 1700s when British soldiers started wearing elaborate hats. A third undisputed theory claims that British soldiers created the salute.īefore the 18th century, British soldiers removed their hats to greet higher-ranking soldiers. This is disputed because there is no evidence that Roman soldiers raised their hands in greeting.Īnother theory claims that the gesture originated in medieval Europe when fully dressed knights raised their visors with one hand to show approaching knights that they were friendly. One theory claims that it first appeared in ancient Rome when soldiers raised their hands to greet other soldiers. The origin of the salute is somewhat obscure. The gesture became popular and replaced yelling as a method of showing discontent with a person. At that time, it took on its modern meaning. Italian immigrants introduced the gesture to the U.S. When used to depict a penis, the fingers on either sides of the upright finger represented the testicles. By the 1700s, the gesture meant sexual intercourse or a penis. The term spilled over into ancient Latin where it was called digitus impudicus (“shameless, indecent, or offensive finger”). It was used to ridicule a man penetrated during gay sex. The sign did not mean any of these when it originated in ancient Greece. It can mean anything from f-k you to f-k off, go f-k yourself, and shove it up your a. The infamous middle finger is one of the most offensive hand gestures out there. Many have changed meanings so much that you may be surprised by their origins. Interestingly, most hand gestures never started with the insulting, neutral, or positive meanings they have today. In fact, the meanings of some hand gestures seem fairly straightforward-like the infamous middle finger. ![]() One area of body language isn’t that difficult to interpret. Facial expressions and how someone holds their body are supposed to tell us what a person really means, even if it conflicts with that person’s words. Many people have studied body language to figure out what an individual is saying nonverbally through unconscious gestures or movements.
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