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Old March 13, 2014, 07:20 PM
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Gesture

Some friends from Mexico recently put a question to me that I had no answer for.
What is the significance in US culture of holding one's left index finger straight out and parallel to the ground - or pointed slightly downward - and rubbing across it with the straightened right index finger (as if peeling a carrot)?
The context they had for such a gesture was that it was done by some authority figure while pronouncing judgment on someone else.
Any ideas?
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  #2  
Old March 13, 2014, 07:25 PM
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chileno chileno is offline
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Shame on you?
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Old March 13, 2014, 07:27 PM
Glen Glen is offline
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Could be. That makes sense.
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Old March 13, 2014, 10:21 PM
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Yup, I associate it with "shame on you".
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Old March 14, 2014, 08:35 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Glen View Post
Some friends from Mexico recently put a question to me that I had no answer for.
What is the significance in US culture of holding one's left index finger straight out and parallel to the ground - or pointed slightly downward - and rubbing across it with the straightened right index finger (as if peeling a carrot)?
The context they had for such a gesture was that it was done by some authority figure while pronouncing judgment on someone else.
Any ideas?
As a kid in California I remember this very well.
Shame on you. Wonder if kids would
recognize it today.
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Old March 14, 2014, 05:44 PM
Glen Glen is offline
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Thanks to all, that clears it up. Now does anyone know what I might be able to tell my friends about how it got started, or what the sliding motion of the finger could represent?
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Old March 14, 2014, 05:51 PM
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Starting places to look:
http://dailyapple.blogspot.com/2014/...u-gesture.html
http://eppylover.livejournal.com/576785.html
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Old March 14, 2014, 05:58 PM
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Very interesting links, Rusty. How in the world did you find them so quickly?
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Old March 14, 2014, 06:03 PM
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The first looked like it had more stuff in it than other sites, and it links to the other I posted.
There might be one that lists the definitive origin, but I didn't see one in my brief look.
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