What does this hand gesture mean to you?

[jberryhill]

Someone places one of their hands on top of the other and twirls their thumbs.

Does this have a uniform meaning?

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. I've always seen it as a sign of boredom. Twiddling your thumbs is what it's called.

[jberryhill]

2. I thought "twiddling your thumbs"

is where you interlace your fingers and rotate the thumbs around each other.

I'm talking about putting one hand atop the other, so that the thumbs are sticking out from opposite sides of your stacked hands, and spinning the thumbs.

[rug]

3. It's what one does while awaiting the outcome of an experiment.

[jberryhill]

4. I guess I didn't explain it well

Both hands are pointed in the same direction.

Extend one hand in front of you so that the fingers point away from your chest.

Now, place the other hand on top of that hand in the same direction, so that you have a stack of two hands with the fingers all pointing the same way.

In this position the thumbs of the upper and lower hand are pointing in opposite directions and on opposite sides of the stack of hands.

Now... twirl them.

[Chellee]

5. Does it mean...

"Look! The turtles are swimming!"

Yes?

Do I win a prize?

[HappyMe]

10. I was thinking 'hold the mayo'.

But yours is more picturesque.

[JoeyT]

6. Without the twirling part,

it means "Boom out/Extend Boom" when you're flagging a crane.

While twirling I have no idea.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

8. Who sits around does that?

[HopeHoops]

7. Well, when I was five, it was the "magic seatbelt" my father used when I had to sit on his lap.

Keep in mind, that this was also a time when kids commonly road in the "monkey back" of station wagons.

[NightWatcher]

9. I hope this helps

[nolabear]

11. That is freaking awesome. Who knew???

I love "Lower the Boom". I think that one's international.

[hedgehog]

12. This maybe?

http://www.squidoo.com/awkwardturtle

[libodem]

13. Nothing to do but

Sit there twiddling your thumbs. Get busy!

[Shrek]

14. It's an event in competitive swimming

Called the thumbstroke. No leg action is allowed.

The 800-meter sometimes takes a while.

[jberryhill]

17. In the meantime, you could drown

[wakemewhenitsover]

15. It's a surfer thing. The hands represent the board...

...and the thumbs represent the surfer's paddling hands as the wave approaches.

[jberryhill]

16. Aha! that makes sense

[The Midway Rebel]

18. Steal third base. nt

[AsahinaKimi]

19. maybe... its here.

[wakemewhenitsover]

24. Where was this chart when we needed it last Monday?

Sincerely,

The Replacement Refs

[MiddleFingerMom]

20. I've added it to my "It's Saturday Night and I Ain't Got Nobody" repertoire.

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I can't think of a single hand gesture that couldn't be added to that.
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[AsahinaKimi]

21. Throws yellow flag ..blows whistle...

Illegal USE of the hands... 15 yard penalty!! Signals forward.. FIRST DOWN!

[MiddleFingerMom]

22. If it was illegal...

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... obviously, I was doing it right!!!
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[AsahinaKimi]

23. LOL!

[Amaril]

25. I think it's the ASL sign for..........

....turtle.

[av8rdave]

26. I believe it's "twiddling." Not to be confused with "diddling."

[Turbineguy]

27. In the Netherlands

it's what you do when somebody is having surgery or something like that. Thumbing for good luck.