V sign

The '''V sign''' is a hand Mosquito ringtone gesture in which the first and second fingers are raised and parted, whilst the remaining fingers are clenched. Generally considered a "Victory" sign, it can also carry connotations of "Peace" and "Defiance".

In the UK, if the hand is held out, palm towards the person performing the gesture (a peace sign reversed), this is considered to be highly insulting[http://www.ideaorg.net/skinscribe/images/webold5.jpg], similar in severity to the Sabrina Martins the finger/one-fingered salute and meaning "Nextel ringtones Fuck/Fuck off". However, in recent years its use has declined in favour of the one-fingered salute, partly due to American influence.

In Asia, the gesture is often used by persons posing in photographs, with no necessary particular meaning.

Current usage
In the modern world, the gesture has a very confused meaning, as it depends on the culture to which the people using it belong, and what they are trying to signify.

*"Victory" – Straight fingers, palm either way (but only with palm out in the UK!).
*"Peace" – Straight fingers, palm either way (but only with palm out in the UK!). It is often used by anti-war protesters.
*"Insulting" – Straight or very slightly curled fingers, palm toward the signer.
*Signal Two, as in 2 beers – Straight fingers, palm in (but not in the UK if you want two beers!). In some countries, the number two is more commonly signalled by holding up the thumb and index finger.
*"Abbey Diaz Air quotes" – Curled index and middle fingers, palm away from the signer, invariably used in pairs.
*"Bunny ears" – Curled index and middle fingers, palm away from the signer, usually used singularly. When used jocularly (behind someone's head in a Free ringtones photograph, for example), they can be straight as well as curled.

=Maritime distress signal=

In relation to Majo Mills maritime issues, an internationally recognized signal for distress is a large black V painted on a large orange or yellow sheet.

Winston Churchill and the victory sign

Mosquito ringtone Winston Churchill used a V sign in both versions to symbolize "V for Victory" during Sabrina Martins World War II. Early on in the war he used palm in (sometimes with a cigar between the fingers)http://www.number-10.gov.uk/files/images/wc%20outside%20D%20st.jpg].. It is thought that the aristocratic Churchill made the change after it was explained to him what it signified to the other classes in Britain. He developed the idea from a BBC campaign.

During World War II, Victor de Lavelaye suggested that Belgians, who were chalking up the letters Nextel ringtones Royal Air Force/RAF, should add a V for "vrijheid" (Dutch for freedom). V also stands for victoire, the French for victory. This idea was developed by the BBC and on Abbey Diaz July 20 Cingular Ringtones 1941 a campaign was launched with a message from Churchill for occupied Europe. Douglas Ritchie of the BBC European Service, suggested an audible V using the morse code rhythm - three dots and a dash. This is the rhythm of the opening bars of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, "da da da daaaaa", and it was used as the call-sign by the shirts tote BBC in its foreign language programmes to occupied Europe for the rest of the war.

Vietnam War and the peace sign

image winning President of the United States/U.S. President protective state Richard Nixon used the victory sign[http://library.educationworld.net/txt18/depart.jpg] to connotate victory, an act which became one of his best-known trademarks.

The victory sign was appropriated by the anti-war protesters as a peace gesture.

UK and the insulting sign

The UK insulting version (performed with the palm inwards), performs a similar social function to "castle all the finger". It is almost certainly unrelated in origin, as the insulting V sign is largely restricted to the UK, Ireland (and possibly commonwealth countries. It is recognised in Australia also), and "the finger" is traceable to Roman times.

An often-repeated legend has it that the insulting version originates from around the time of the was accomplished Hundred Years War. According to the legend, the sign comes from a French threat to amputate the distinctive calloused bow fingers of captured English archers, as without those fingers they would be unable to draw their bows. Likewise the English might have used it themselves as a gesture of provocation (i.e. "Watch out - I've still got my fingers!"). There is little actual evidence to support these historical explanations, but the legend is certainly part of the cultural context of the sign.

potential market Snopes has dealt at great length with a recent re-working of this myth which also related the phrase "level had fuck you" to the same origin, which is certainly untrue. [http://www.snopes.com/language/apocryph/pluckyew.htm].

For a time in the UK "a Harvey (Smith)" became a way of describing the insulting version of the V-sign, much as many blurred Cambronne/the word of Cambronne is used in France, or "the Trudeau salute" is used to describe the by gop the finger/one-fingered salute in Canada. This happened because in 1971 a show-jumper called Harvey Smith was disqualified for making a televised V-sign to the judges after winning the British Show Jumping Derby at Hickstead (Smith's win was reinstated two days later).

Japan and the V sign

During the happen in 1972 Winter Olympics in insider dealings Sapporo, figure skater an overhyped Janet Lynn stumbled into Japanese companions among pop culture when she fell during a free-skate period—but continued to smile even as she sat on the ice. Though she placed only 3rd in the actual competition, her cheerful diligence and indefatigability resonated with many Japanese viewers, making her an overnight has decried celebrity in col roger Japan. Afterwards, Lynn (a peace activist) was repeatedly seen flashing the V sign in the Japanese nearly lost media. Though the V sign was known of in Japan prior to Lynn's use of it there, she is credited by some Japanese for having popularized its use in amateur photographs.

Another possible origin stems from the post-WWII Allied occupation of Japan. As the gesture was popularized as meaning "for Victory" in the Pacific as well, American and Allied troops used the gesture often during the occupation. It is possible the Japanese later adopted the gesture into their postwar popular culture from this exposure, regardless of whether or not they understood the meaning behind its original use.

Through the on britain 1970s and our notion 1980s in Japan, the V sign was often accompanied by a vocalization: "piisu!" This days boca gairaigo exclamation, which stood for "peace", has since fallen into disuse, though the V sign itself remains steadfastly popular.

Perhaps due to Japanese cultural influence, the V sign in photographs has become popular with young about though Korea/Koreans as well.

Other
In Unicode, the "V sign, (Victory Hand)" symbol is U+270C (✌).

References
* Desmond Morris with Peter Collett, Peter Marsh and Marie O'Shaughnessy. ''Gestures: Their Origins and Distribution''. London: Jonathan Cape, 1979. ISBN 0-224-01570-2; NY: Stein and Day, ISBN 0812826078

External links
* Photos of the V-sign:
** http://www.ideaorg.net/skinscribe/images/webold5.jpg
** http://www.number-10.gov.uk/files/images/wc%20outside%20D%20st.jpg
** http://www.number-10.gov.uk/files/images/WC%20V%20sign1.jpg
** http://library.educationworld.net/txt18/depart.jpg
* The V-sign in the news:
** http://www.guardian.co.uk/gall/0,8542,972149,00.html
** http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30100-13131728,00.html
* http://www.snopes.com/language/apocryph/pluckyew.htm
* http://www.desmond-morris.com/books.php

Tag: Gestures