three finger hand gesture meaning

[lovetoloveyou]

recently while riding my bike an oncoming jogger moved out of my path so could I move forward freely ( there was another oncoming jogger to my right who prevented me from moving out of his way). In return I offered a thanks by opening my hand with all fingers splayed and palm facing him. He made a downward facing pointing gesture with his index finger and middle finger together and thumb extended with the back of his hand facing me. What does this gesture mean exactly?

[swansont]

recently while riding my bike an oncoming jogger moved out of my path so could I move forward freely ( there was another oncoming jogger to my right who prevented me from moving out of his way). In return I offered a thanks by opening my hand with all fingers splayed and palm facing him. He made a downward facing pointing gesture with his index finger and middle finger together and thumb extended with the back of his hand facing me. What does this gesture mean exactly?

 

 

I have no idea, but gestures are usually culture-specific. Innocent gestures in one country are insults in another (the two-fingered V sign is such a gesture), and can have different meanings or mean quite different things with subtle changes. You need to say where this happened.

[lovetoloveyou]

in America, United States

[Velocity_Boy]

recently while riding my bike an oncoming jogger moved out of my path so could I move forward freely ( there was another oncoming jogger to my right who prevented me from moving out of his way). In return I offered a thanks by opening my hand with all fingers splayed and palm facing him. He made a downward facing pointing gesture with his index finger and middle finger together and thumb extended with the back of his hand facing me. What does this gesture mean exactly?

Ya know I've always been kind of a buff on hand gestures and their history, don't ask why, but they fascinate me. I guess it might be tied to my love of linguistics? Anyway, I never have seen or heard of that particular gesture, and it is also not listed on this pretty damn comprehensive list I am providing. So I gotta think your jogger friend maybe had a deformity or handicap on his hand? Sounds funny in a way but I can't rule it out.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_gestures

[Endy0816]

Bunch of gestures out there:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_gestures#Single_handed_gestures

Edited June 5, 2016 by Endy0816

[DrmDoc]

recently while riding my bike an oncoming jogger moved out of my path so could I move forward freely ( there was another oncoming jogger to my right who prevented me from moving out of his way). In return I offered a thanks by opening my hand with all fingers splayed and palm facing him. He made a downward facing pointing gesture with his index finger and middle finger together and thumb extended with the back of his hand facing me. What does this gesture mean exactly?

 

In America, it likely conveys a variation of the same gesture with the index and middle finger pointed forward rather than downward, which is an aggressive simulation and reference to a handgun. Pointing downward would be a holstered gun position reference. I hope this helps.

Edited June 5, 2016 by DrmDoc

[Strange]

 

Pointing downward would be a holstered gun position reference

 

This sounds quite plausible. But it is a bit disturbing that "I'm not going to shoot you" is considered equivalent to "You're very welcome, old chap" or "We cool, bro".

[DrmDoc]

 

This sounds quite plausible. But it is a bit disturbing that "I'm not going to shoot you" is considered equivalent to "You're very welcome, old chap" or "We cool, bro".

 

In the America I know, where there are considerably more guns than people, the OP should be relieved that it was merely a gesture.

Edited June 6, 2016 by DrmDoc

[imatfaal]

 

In the America I know, where there are considerably more guns than people, the OP should be relieved that it was merely a gesture.

 

"relieved" that he wasn't shot for thanking someone? FFS - that is some screwed up value system

[DrmDoc]

 

"relieved" that he wasn't shot for thanking someone? FFS - that is some screwed up value system

 

In many cities, America is a very dangerous place to live; a place where a person could get shot for the slightest provocation, whether innocent or unintended. Shameful but true.

[dimreepr]

And a great excuse to be afraid; there are places, even in my own sleepy part of the world, that are dangerous, so when I want to be scared I go there, when I want to feel safe, I don't,

[Velocity_Boy]

In America, it likely conveys a variation of the same gesture with the index and middle finger pointed forward rather than downward, which is an aggressive simulation and reference to a handgun. Pointing downward would be a holstered gun position reference. I hope this helps.

 

No doesn't help at all, since you're wrong. Do you even live here in the USA? I've been seeing and using and studying hand signs for three decades. Never seen the one the OP described. I lived in Detroit for years and am familiar with the gang banger signs. Never seen it. Wiki link I provided never seen it. The guy was deformed in that hand.

Hope this helps!

[Endy0816]

I would assume good intent unless otherwise indicated. If OP could upload a photo showing a recreation of the sign that might help to identify it.

[Velocity_Boy]

I would assume good intent unless otherwise indicated. If OP could upload a photo showing a recreation of the sign that might help to identify it.

 

 

I agree. Good intent-- like an "it's OK, no problem" sideways wave from a malformed hand. I am liking this idea more and more. So much now that I would probably bet on it. I'm not sure why this debate is so important to me. Must be a side effect from my penchant for Linguistics. As hand gestures ARE a sort of language. I minored in Linguistics, almost majored, but got bit hard by the Biology and Evolutionary Theory bug on a trip to Africa as a young man.

 

Thanks!

[DrmDoc]

No doesn't help at all, since you're wrong. Do you even live here in the USA? I've been seeing and using and studying hand signs for three decades. Never seen the one the OP described. I lived in Detroit for years and am familiar with the gang banger signs. Never seen it. Wiki link I provided never seen it. The guy was deformed in that hand.

Hope this helps!

 

I didn't know you were also the OP, Lovetoloveyou. If you are, and I'm certain you're not, your OP never said it was a gang sign and I'm sorry you didn't find it helpful--but then, my reply wasn't meant for you. Also, I'm sure you are familiar--being a formerly Mexico (Location) resident who lived in Detroit--that gangbangers and non-gangbangers alike do make the handgun gesture as I described with the index and/or middle finger together pointed forward with thumb extended. Although we cannot know the intent of the person who might have flashed a likely variation of this handgun gesture--with fingers downward and palm inward--my interpretation is as valid as any offered here given the description provided. It's a simple gesture and the OP description didn't indicate to me, as it clearly did to you, that the hand signer was deformed. My reply was not an attack on the studied opinion you profess, it was merely my opinion based on my experience--and yes, I actually do live in America.

Edited June 7, 2016 by DrmDoc

[Strange]

Maybe he was just pointing down to say, "your flies are undone"

[michel123456]

recently while riding my bike an oncoming jogger moved out of my path so could I move forward freely ( there was another oncoming jogger to my right who prevented me from moving out of his way). In return I offered a thanks by opening my hand with all fingers splayed and palm facing him. He made a downward facing pointing gesture with his index finger and middle finger together and thumb extended with the back of his hand facing me. What does this gesture mean exactly?

Oh you made a "mountza"

It is an insult to a Greek.

 

Maybe he wanted to say "I'll shoot you"?

[Strange]

Oh you made a "mountza"

It is an insult to a Greek.

 

When writing technical documentation, we are taught never to include hands (or other body parts!) in diagrams because just about everything will be offensive somewhere in the world.

[DrmDoc]

Oh you made a "mountza"

It is an insult to a Greek.

 

Maybe he wanted to say "I'll shoot you"?

 

Wow! A "mountza"? I learn something new everyday. I think I'll just keep my hands down and use my words.

[lovetoloveyou]

This is not the same gesture but I wonder what it means?Untitled 2.tiff

Edited July 2, 2016 by lovetoloveyou

[Velocity_Boy]

I didn't know you were also the OP, Lovetoloveyou. If you are, and I'm certain you're not, your OP never said it was a gang sign and I'm sorry you didn't find it helpful--but then, my reply wasn't meant for you. Also, I'm sure you are familiar--being a formerly Mexico (Location) resident who lived in Detroit--that gangbangers and non-gangbangers alike do make the handgun gesture as I described with the index and/or middle finger together pointed forward with thumb extended. Although we cannot know the intent of the person who might have flashed a likely variation of this handgun gesture--with fingers downward and palm inward--my interpretation is as valid as any offered here given the description provided. It's a simple gesture and the OP description didn't indicate to me, as it clearly did to you, that the hand signer was deformed. My reply was not an attack on the studied opinion you profess, it was merely my opinion based on my experience--and yes, I actually do live in America.

 

Of course I'm familiar with the handgun sign, but that's not what the OP saw. It was your idea of a holstered gun sign that I said I never saw. Especially in the context of a running trail exchange while acknowledging a thank you sign. That just makes zero sense. When imitating holstering a gun you,well, imitate holstering a gun. Arm fully involved, up and down. And usually only the index finger is used, not the middle finger also, for the Barrell.

 

Can't but help wonder if the OP was on the wrong side of path? And the mystery dinner was pointing that out by pointing to the path side he was on as if saying he had right of way? The OP said he couldn't move to the right, right?

 

LOl....Think I just solved it.

 

 

 

Thanks.

[DrmDoc]

Of course I'm familiar with the handgun sign, but that's not what the OP saw. It was your idea of a holstered gun sign that I said I never saw. Especially in the context of a running trail exchange while acknowledging a thank you sign. That just makes zero sense. When imitating holstering a gun you,well, imitate holstering a gun. Arm fully involved, up and down. And usually only the index finger is used, not the middle finger also, for the Barrell.

 

Can't but help wonder if the OP was on the wrong side of path? And the mystery dinner was pointing that out by pointing to the path side he was on as if saying he had right of way? The OP said he couldn't move to the right, right?

 

LOl....Think I just solved it.

 

 

 

Thanks.

 

I thought this question was resolved nine months ago. We both read the same question but had and offered differing opinions. Although I'm no expert as you have professed to be, my interpretation, as I said, was indeed as valid as any previously offered given the limited description provided. As I also conveyed, we cannot know the intent of the hand-signer but what we do know is that the description of the gesture provided is very similar to a downward-facing handgun as I described, which is the holstered position as I also described--and according to the link I've provided, that gesture can be made with either one or two fingers, which includes the middle finger.

Edited March 13, 2017 by DrmDoc