{"product_id":"dictionary-of-gestures-isbn-9780262547994","title":"Dictionary of Gestures","description":"\u003cb\u003eAn illustrated guide to more than 850 gestures and their meanings around the world, from a nod of the head to a click of the heels.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGestures convey meaning with a flourish. A vigorous nod of the head, a bold jut of the chin, an enthusiastic thumbs-up: all speak louder than words. Yet the same gesture may have different meanings in different parts of the world. What Americans understand as the “A-OK gesture,” for example, is an obscene insult in the Arab world. This volume is the reference book we didn't know we needed—an illustrated dictionary of 850 gestures and their meanings around the world. It catalogs voluntary gestures made to communicate openly—as distinct from sign language, dance moves, involuntary “tells,” or secret handshakes—and explains what the gesture conveys in a variety of locations. It is organized by body part, from top to bottom, from head (nodding, shaking, turning) to foot (scraping, kicking, playing footsie).\u003cbr\u003eWe learn that “to oscillate the head while gently throwing it back” communicates approval in some countries even though it resembles the headshake of disapproval used in other countries; that “to tap a slightly inflated cheek” constitutes an erotic invitation when accompanied by a wink; that the middle finger pointed in the air signifies approval in South America. We may already know that it is a grave insult in the Middle East and Asia to display the sole of one's shoe, but perhaps not that motorcyclists sometimes greet each other by raising a foot. Illustrated with clever line drawings and documented with quotations from literature (the author, François Caradec, was a distinguished and prolific historian of literature, culture, and humorous oddities, as well as a novelist and poet), this dictionary offers readers unique lessons in polylingual meaning.Acknowledgments -- ix\u003cbr\u003eOn the Beauty of Gestures -- 1\u003cbr\u003e1 The Head -- 37\u003cbr\u003e2 The Temples -- 47\u003cbr\u003e3 The Ear -- 53\u003cbr\u003e4 The Forehead -- 59\u003cbr\u003e5 The Eyebrows and the Eyelashes -- 63\u003cbr\u003e6 The Eye -- 65\u003cbr\u003e7 The Nose -- 71\u003cbr\u003e8 The Mouth -- 83\u003cbr\u003e9 The Lips -- 95\u003cbr\u003e10 The Tongue -- 101 \u003cbr\u003e11 The Teeth -- 105\u003cbr\u003e12 The Cheeks -- 109\u003cbr\u003e13 The Chin -- 115\u003cbr\u003e14 The Neck -- 121\u003cbr\u003e15 The Shoulders -- 127\u003cbr\u003e16 The Armpits -- 133\u003cbr\u003e17 The Arm -- 135\u003cbr\u003e18 The Forearm -- 147\u003cbr\u003e19 The Elbow -- 153\u003cbr\u003e20 The Wrist -- 157\u003cbr\u003e21 The Fingernails -- 163\u003cbr\u003e22 The Hand -- 167\u003cbr\u003e22.5 The Fist -- 193\u003cbr\u003e23 Both Hands -- 201\u003cbr\u003e24 Hand to Hand -- 225\u003cbr\u003e25 The Thumb -- 235\u003cbr\u003e25.5 The Thumb is Not Alone -- 243\u003cbr\u003e26 The Index Finger -- 251\u003cbr\u003e27 The Middle Finger -- 273\u003cbr\u003e28 The Ring Finger -- 277\u003cbr\u003e29 The Little Finger (The Pinky) -- 279\u003cbr\u003e30 The Torso -- 281\u003cbr\u003e31 The Chest -- 283\u003cbr\u003e32 The Hips -- 291\u003cbr\u003e33 The Waist and the Stomach -- 293\u003cbr\u003e34 The Buttocks -- 297\u003cbr\u003e35 The Groin, the Genitals, the Thighs -- 301\u003cbr\u003e36 The Knees, the Legs -- 307\u003cbr\u003e37 The Foot -- 311\u003cbr\u003eBibliography -- 315\u003cbr\u003eImage Credits -- 317\u003cbr\u003eIndex -- 319This work deserves a thumbs up for its appeal to a broad audience. \u003cbr\u003e —\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e—\u003cbr\u003e If François Caradec's delightfully idiosyncratic \u003ci\u003eDictionary of Gestures\u003c\/i\u003e is to be believed, almost all of them amount to some species of mortal insult or erotic invitation somewhere in the world.\u003cbr\u003e —\u003ci\u003eDaily Telegraph\u003c\/i\u003e—\u003cbr\u003e [a] huge contemporary relevance, helping to avoid misunderstandings in an increasingly multicultural society. This book could even save lives.\u003cbr\u003e —\u003ci\u003eThe Spectator\u003c\/i\u003e—\u003cbr\u003e A strangely eclectic reference manual....an eyeopener.\u003cbr\u003e —\u003ci\u003eNational Post\u003c\/i\u003e—François Caradec (1924–2008) was a French writer and a member of both the Collége de 'Pataphysique and the Oulipo. His voluminous oeuvre includes biographies of Raymond Roussel and Alfred Jarry, as well as an encyclopedia of practical jokes and a dictionary of French slang. Caradec was a devoted specialist in Alphonse Allais, compiling and editing his collected works, and was one of the first historians of the \u003ci\u003ebande dessinée\u003c\/i\u003e in France.","brand":"The MIT Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46302141317349,"sku":"NP9780262547994","price":24.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780262547994.jpg?v=1767725097","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/dictionary-of-gestures-isbn-9780262547994","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}