• Diplomjodler@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    This seems pretty overblown to me. Basically any hand gesture is an obscene insult in Greece? Maybe someone native wants to offer some perspective?

  • x4740N@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    I’m Australian and I have never heard of the peace sign meaning up yours

    I doubt the accuracy of the information in this

    • Frenchy@aussie.zone
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      7 months ago

      I think they’re getting confused with a similar sign. If you do the peace sign sweeping the fingers upward but with the back of your hand facing the person then that means up yours. Or at least it did when I was younger.

    • gggg@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      peace sign is forward, up yours is backward. definitely slipped out of australian use in the last few decades at least, but people who were around for the pound might remember.

      • Zozano@aussie.zone
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        7 months ago

        If someone signaled to me the backwards V, all I would think is “do they think I’m British?”

    • HappycamperNZ@lemmy.world
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      7 months ago

      Kiwi here, same.

      I’d find it weird someone is using the term groovy in this day and age, but that’s it.

  • espentan@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    The V-sign, isn’t the clue to make it with the palm facing away from you? The V-for victory sign is definitely a thing in Great Britain. Churchill somewhat famously did the sign incorrectly the first few times he used it.

    • klemptor@startrek.website
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      7 months ago

      IIRC in Straw Dogs, Dustin Hoffman plays an American who has come to rural England. He’s greeted by two locals who give him the peace sign, then when he walks away they turn their hands around and it becomes the two-fingered salute.

  • Shadowedcross@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    Brit here, the V sign has two different meanings dependant on which side of the fingers is shown. If the palm side is shown then it’s the same peace sign, if it’s the other side then it’s offensive.

    • Akasazh@feddit.nl
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      7 months ago

      I’ve been told it harkens back to Agincourt, where captured English archers had their drawing fingers cut off, so showing them would mean you’re out to shoot some French.

  • THCDenton@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    Anyone from the Phillipines wanna verify that? Getting arrested for a hand gesture seems pretty wild.

  • SalutaryFilth@r.nf
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    7 months ago

    Tineye tracks this image back to 2017 and Pimsleur is old school in every way (including factoids) so the info behind it could easily be a last minute drunken assignment from 50 years ago.

    We’re a lot more globalized and everyone has been exposed to the America “character” through mass media since then. My advice to American tourists is to stop comparing everything to “back home” and to realise you are constantly breaking taboos but your hosts are too polite to tell you. And to remember this when the similarily offend you.

  • redisdead@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    Funny thing about these is when your country is involved you realize how full of shit the rest must be then.

    As a French person born and raised, who lives right next to the Belgian border, never seen 3 used in the way they pretend it is.

    It just means ‘ok’

  • _lilith@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    Gotta agree with the Filipinos on number 6 its like calling a dog to heel and its intentionally demeaning.

  • Vilian@lemmy.ca
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    7 months ago

    LMAO were the fuck someone gonna be mad at “ok” in brasil

  • PDFuego@lemmy.world
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    7 months ago

    Out of curiosity, in which parts of Australia is the V sign insulting? I’d only recognise it as an insult because I grew up watching British sitcoms, I’ve never seen it used that way in person.