Field Guide to Gestures: How to Identify and Interpret Virtually Every Gesture Known to Man [With 64-P 4C Insert]

I never thought reading a field guide could be fun--interesting, not fun--but that was before I came across FIELD GUIDE TO GESTURES: HOW TO IDENTIFY AND INTERPRET VIRTUALLY EVERY GESTURE KNOWN TO MAN, a tongue-in-cheek book that in a fun-read kind of way tells you what the "tongue in cheek" gesture really means. Hint: It's in the book's "Offensive and Profane" section, and the gesture starts with F. "Where might you witness this gesture?" you ask. "Places where adolescents gather, such as malls, school hallways, and diners, are common areas to see this gesture in use amidst much giggling. College campuses may be a venue for the performance of this gesture, since it is here where the battle for maturity is fought and often not quite won." Don't worry if you're not quite sure how to perform this or any other gesture; the book includes helpful how-to illustrations. Field Guide to Gestures is a great resource for writers who chronically "tell" how a character feels, responds to requests, what his/her attitudes or intentions are, rather than "show" these things. You can employ the Hold Nose gesture, The Raspberry, Butt Pat, the Let's Drink gesture, and so on. From this book you also learn which commonly used gestures may mean different things in different countries. For example, sometimes no means yes. "In Bulgaria, parts of Greece, Turkey, Iran, and the former Yugoslavia, if you shake your head back and forth, it will be taken as `yes,' while up and down means `no.'" You can also use entries in Field Guide to Gestures as free-write prompts. They're guaranteed to instigate writing antics and god-awful gestures.

So tongue in cheek it almost swallows it, but you will find yourself trying to follow the step by step "Execution:" directions, invariably starting with "Make a fist with one hand" and often demonstrated with line figures. Call me crazy, but this book will make you smile.

I'm a sign language interpreter. I work in Cook County as a Court Interpreter, only one among spoken Language interpreters, Spanish and Polish and all the rest. They think I'm making stuff up when I work. I say the same thing about them. When I need to make the point that they already know a bazillion signs, then I haul out this book and show them what I mean. It works every time. Keeps the focus on the work, not on interpersonal relationships in the workplace. Coleen Hogan

If you often find yourself scratching your head, shrugging, or furrowing your eyebrows in confusion because of the non-verbal gestures of others, then this book was written expressly for you! 108 gestures are described, illustrated via drawings, and explained in this handy book. The book is well-organized and gestures are divided into common-sense categories: arrival (handshake), departure (waving), approval (high five), disapproval (finger wag), mating (hair flip), offensive and profane (chin flick), just for emphasis (finger snap), and "no words needed" (crossing fingers). Although most of the gestures are likely to be familiar to most people, some obscure gestures are included as well (e.g., the fig). In addition to this basic information, the authors provide interesting facts about the origins and variations of gestures. For example, making a "W" with your finger to mean "whatever" was popularized by the 1995 movie, "Clueless." Likewise, they note that the thumbing of the nose has more names than any other gesture, including "pull a snook," "japenese fan," and "pull bacon." The authors also discuss the meanings of the gestures in various cultures. For example, in parts of Greece, nodding means "no" and shaking the head means "yes." Likewise, making horns with you hand can mean that your a rock fan in the U.S., or signify a cuckold in Mediterranean countries! Fortunately, the authors approach the subject firmly tongue-in-cheek, and I found myself laughing frequently. Each gesture is also illustrated with a color plate, some of which are hilarious, especially the profane ones that are illustrated by an older woman! A terrific, well-researched little book that is most highly recommended.

You are in conversation with an individual you do not know well. All of a sudden she makes a fist, extends the pinkie on one side and the thumb on the other, and wiggles the fist with its extended digits. You are mystified. What do you do? The answer is simple: You pull out the _Field Guide to Gestures: How to Identify and Interpret Virtually Every Gesture Known to Man_ (Quirk Books) by Nancy Armstrong and Melissa Wagner. After all, it is pocket sized and full of pictures, and you always have it with you. You find the photo of the gesture, but you ignore the similar one with the fist elevated and the thumb pointed to the open mouth ("Let's Drink") or the one where the thumb is near the ear and the pinkie is near the mouth ("Call me"). No, the gesture is the "Hang Loose"; your partner in conversation is using a sign associated with Hawaiian surfers, but actually traced to Spanish explorers. The gesture derives from "Let's Drink", but as given without the "bottle" gesture, it has no implications of recreational drug use, just "take it easy". If you are in Japan, however, the gesture might mean "six." There is more information available on this gesture, and on over a hundred others in this funny and interesting book. It doesn't matter that you know most of them already; included here are pointing, nodding, hugging, rolling the eyes, and so on. You can find out the history of the gesture, where it might be misunderstood, and exactly how to make it. You will be surprised at how many gestures you already use and take for granted. For a sample, look at just a few of the gestures that can be made with the hand in a simple pointing configuration. The index finger extended from the fist is universally understood to mean "look over there". Pointing upwards, it means "one". Elevated and wagged it means "No, no, no..." Slashed across the throat it is an utmost gesture of disapproval. Inserted in and out of the fingers of the other hand, it means, well, you know. Tapping the finger on the side of the nose means "We are sharing a secret." Put to pursed lips, it is "Shhhhh!" even without the sound. Put to the side of the head and rotated it means "crazy". There is a special subtlety to this particular gesture in Japan. It means "crazy" when rotated counterclockwise, but "vain" when clockwise. This distinction, however, the authors note, is fading. Amusingly, as with other field guides, there is a disclaimer at the front of the book to say that it can't list the millions of gestures and meanings, and stressing that it therefore cannot guarantee full reliability. Of particular interest to the naughty will be the large section dealing with gestures of disrespect. If you follow the explicit "1-2-3" directions here, you can perform "The Moon" at someone, for instance. Hand signals saying about the same thing are definitely not omitted from this guide.For a reference book, I found _Field Guide to Gestures_ to be great fun. Thumbs up.