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Ambiguous Nonverbal Communication
Anthony BurchellArticle by Wendy Wong
The Thumbs UpIn most of Latin America and West Africa, as well as Greece, Russia, Sardinia and the south of Italy, the
thumbs-up basically means the same as the middle finger: “Sit on it and swivel”.
The “OK”in Brazil, Germany and a few Mediterranean
countries: the circular shape of the gesture gives it the meaning of “anus”.
The V or Peace SignIf your palm is facing outward this sign is considered an insult to Great Britain and other english speaking
countries.
The Hornsthe symbol basically means “cuckold” (or rather, Your wife is
cheating on you), and its origins are Mediterranean. The horn is still popular in Spain, Portugal, Greece, Colombia, Brazil,
Albania, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, and seems to be used most often to disagree with football referees
Video Example of Ambiguous Non Verbal
QuestionHave you ever found yourself in a disagreement
based on a misinterpreted hand signal?