Hand gestures

Ten hand gestures you don't want to get wrong
Possible subject area for my top 10 motion graphics brief, want to explore some other options first. Obviously these are very basic hand gestures and could easily research much further into it but will leave it here for the moment. The main issue with this is that its already been done through the Santander adverts.

The thumbs up
Although it has a positive meaning of a job well done in most of Western culture, in most of Latin America and West Africa, as well as Greece, Russia, Sardinia and the south of Italy it basically means the same as the middle finger. Also its generally not recommended to use the thumbs-up around the Middle East.

In Germany and less Westernised areas of Japan they just see it as the hand signal for number one.
  

 The Dog call
Generally a seductive gesture but beware because in the Philippines its considered ONLY to be used on dogs. It can actually be an arrestable offence, but worse than that they break your index finger to stop you from doing it again.

The 'Moutza'
Although harmless enough for most Westerners in Greece its known as the Moutza, and is one of their most traditional manual insults. With fingers slightly apart you push your hand into your targets face and with a brash "na!' meaning "you go!". One a more basic level it means "I'm not listening"


Also insulting in Pakistan and many parts of Africa. Microsoft used a similar hand signal in previous versions of windows - not sure what the Greeks thought of that.

The A'OK
Used in diving for an 'all good' signal as thumbs up means ascend. However in many parts of Europe it is read as you telling someone they are zero.

In Brazil, Germany and a few Mediterranean countries it means ass hole or by extension homosexual.

The V sign
Perfectly harmless on one side of the Atlantic, but here in the UK it has obvious repercussions. (Don't think this one needs much more explaining)

The 'Fig'
If you’re doing the ‘fig’, it probably means you’re denoting a letter T in American Sign Language. But if somebody else is giving you the same gesture  they’re probably giving you a rather disparaging insult, roughly equivalent to “fuck you!”.

This hand sign is also highly disparaging to Italians and Turks and it would be taken as a threatening gesture.

The 'Corna'
The gesture was actually popularised as a Satanic salute during the 1960s, appearing in many editions of the Satanic Bible. Nowadays many Americans use the gesture simply to mean “rock on”

Occasionally used by baseball players to indicate “two outs”, the corna is actually a positive hand gesture in Buddhism and Hinduism, known as the Karana Mudra in such circles, and is used to dispel evil.