Thumbing one's nose
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Thumbing one's nose, also known as cocking a snook,[1] is a sign of derision, disrespect, contempt, or defiance, made by putting the thumb on the nose, holding the palm open and perpendicular to the face, and wiggling the remaining fingers.[2][3] It is used mostly by schoolchildren. It is also known as thumbing the nose, Anne's Fan or Queen Anne's Fan.[4][5]
The phrase cocking a snook can be used figuratively: the Oxford English Dictionary cites a 1938 usage by Eric Ambler in his Cause for Alarm, where he writes that the Rome–Berlin axis "cocked the biggest snook yet at the League of Nations idea".[6]
The gesture was commonly used by Charlie Chaplin, especially in his earlier films.[7]
See also
References
- ↑ Cambridge University Press (2006). Cambridge Idioms Dictionary (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-86037-7.
- ↑ McNeill, David (1992). Hand and Mind: What Gestures Reveal About Thought. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
- ↑ 'Cock a snook' – the meaning and origin of this phrase, Phrases.org.uk. Retrieved at 1 January 2018
- ↑ Shipley, Joseph Twadell (2001). The Origins of English Words: A Discursive Dictionary of Indo-European Roots (reprint ed.). Baltimore: JHU Press. p. 302. ISBN 0-8018-6784-3. Retrieved 8 August 2009.([failed verification] - no explicit connection to one specific Queen Anne in this source.)
- ↑ "The British also call it "Queen Anne's fan" because it became popular during her reign, of 1702-1714." Cocking a snook at a bender, Chris Lloyd for The Northern Echo, Darlington, 6 Sep 2018, accessed 11 Oct 2021.
- ↑ "Snook, n.3". Oxford English Dictionary. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ↑ Fawell, John W. (17 January 2023). Charlie Chaplin: A Reference Guide to His Life and Works. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC. p. 75. ISBN 978-1-5381-4606-4.
| Friendly gestures | |
|---|---|
| Gestures of respect | |
| Salutes | |
| Celebratory gestures | |
| Finger-counting | |
| Obscene gestures | |
| Taunts | |
| Head motions | |
| Other gestures | |
| Related | |
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