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Athumb signal, usually described as athumbs-up orthumbs-down, is a commonhandgesture achieved by a closedfist held with thethumb extended upward or downward, respectively. The thumbs-up gesture is associated with positivity, approval, achievement, satisfaction and solidarity, while the thumbs-down gesture is associated with concern, disapproval, dissatisfaction, rejection and failure.
TheLatin phrasepollice verso is used in the context ofgladiatorial combat for a hand gesture used byAncient Roman crowds to pass judgment on a defeated gladiator.
Now they give shows of their own. Thumbs up! Thumbs down! And the killers, spare or slay, and then go back to concessions for private privies.
— Juvenal,Against the City of Rome (c. 110–127 A.D.)
While it is clear that the thumb was involved, the precise type of gesture described by the phrasepollice verso and its meaning are unclear in the historical and literary record.[1][2][3] According toAnthony Corbeill, aclassical studies professor who has extensively researched the practice, thumbs up signalled killing the gladiator while "a closed fist with a wraparound thumb" meant sparing him.[4][5] In modern popular culture, necessarily without a historical basis from Ancient Rome, it is wrongly presumed[6][7] that "thumbs down" was the signal that a defeated gladiator should be condemned todeath; "thumbs up", that he should be spared.
It has been suggested that 'thumbs up' was a signal from English archers preparing for battle that all is well with their bow and they are ready to fight. Before use, thefistmele (or the "brace height") was checked, that being the distance between the string and the bow on an Englishlongbow. This fistmele should be about 7 inches (18 cm), which is about the same as a fist with a thumb extended. The term fistmele is a Saxon word that refers to that measurement.[8]
Desmond Morris inGestures: Their Origins and Distribution traces the practice back to amedieval custom used to seal business transactions, suggesting that over time, the mere sight of an upraised thumb came to symbolize harmony and kind feelings. For example in the seventeenth century, see theDiego Velázquez paintingThe Lunch.
TheOxford English Dictionary cites the earliest written instance of "thumbs-up" (with a positive meaning) as being fromOver the Top, a 1917 book written byArthur Guy Empey. Empey was an American who served in the British armed forces duringWorld War I. He wrote: "Thumbs up,Tommy’s expression which means ‘everything is fine with me'."[9] A visual example of the British use of "thumbs up" having a positive meaning (or, "okay") from the 1920s can be seen 19 minutes into the British-made silent 1927 filmThe Lodger: A Story of the London Fog, where the younger man examines some paper money for the older man and declares it "good" (not counterfeit) with a "thumbs up" using both hands.[10]
Popularization in the United States is generally attributed to the practices ofWorld War IIpilots, who used the thumbs up to communicate with ground crews before take-off. This custom may have originated with the China-basedFlying Tigers, who were among the first American flyers involved in World War II. The appreciative Chinese would sayting hao de (挺好的) meaning "very good", and gesture with a thumbs up, which in Chinese means "you're number one".[citation needed] High officials in the Chinese government see it as a sign of respect.[citation needed]
During World War II, pilots on USaircraft carriers adopted the thumbs-up gesture to alert the deck crew that they were ready to go and that the wheel chocks could be removed. On modern US carriers, specific deck crew hold a thumb up to signal to the pilot and control tower that their station is OK for take-off. AmericanGIs are reputed to have picked up on the thumb gesture and spread it throughoutEurope as they marched towardBerlin.[4] According to Luís da Câmara Cascudo, Brazilians adopted the thumbs up from watching American pilots based in northernBrazil during World War II.[11]
SenatorJohn McCain of Arizona, when he cast the deciding vote that derailed a Republican repeal of theAffordable Care Act ("Obamacare") on July 28, 2017, used the thumbs down gesture.[12]
In 2023, a farmer in Canada was fined C$82,000 (US$61,610), having used a thumbs-up emoji in response to a text message contract, which was ruled as a binding agreement. The farmer failed to fulfill the contract by not delivering the expected amount of flax, leading to the penalty. The judge considered the emoji's meaning of assent or approval, concluding that it can serve as a digital signature. The ruling recognized the use of non-traditional methods, like emojis, in confirming contracts in today's technological landscape.[13]
The thumbs-up signal has a generally positive connotation in English-speaking countries. However, its perceived meaning varies significantly from culture to culture.[14]
InTibet, the thumbs-up gesture is a traditional way of begging for mercy.[15]
The sign has been said to have a pejorative meaning inIran.[16] In recent years however, the negative meaning of the gesture has generally disappeared. This is largely due to increased exposure to Western culture, especially the use of the thumbs-up symbol in social media.
InGermany,France,Hungary andFinland thegesture can simply indicate the number one, in the right context.[17]
The thumbs-up gesture is used on the logo ofThums Up, a popular brand of cola fromIndia. Starting in 2007, the thumbs-up also appeared onIndia's one-rupee coin.[18]
On the Internet, and most particularly on the social media siteFacebook, the thumbs-up gesture is shown as an icon and is associated with the term "like"—which within that context means to follow or subscribe to the page, posts, or profile of another individual or company; and onYouTube, individual videos may be voted on positively or negatively by clicking the thumbs-up or thumbs-down icons respectively (which in some previous versions of the site, used to be accompanied by "Like" and "Dislike" labels, and are still referred as such nowadays), and in the case of a thumbs-up, the video gets added to the user's "Liked videos" playlist. Seelike button.
In underwater diving signals, thumb up means "let's go up".[19]
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More recently, these gestures are associated withfilmreviews, having been popularized bycriticsGene Siskel andRoger Ebert[20] on their televised review showSiskel & Ebert; the thumb up meaning a positive opinion of a film; the thumb down meaning a negative one. The trademarked phrase "two thumbs up", originally meaning a positive review from both reviewers, has come to be used as an indication of very high quality or unanimity of praise.
By extension from the film review usage,[21] manywebsites (including Facebook) allow users to approve or disapprove of items, such as comments in aforum, products in astore, or even other people's reviews of movies, books, products, etc., by choosing to click either a thumbs-up or thumbs-down button. In the aggregate, this serves as anevaluation system. Other users may then see the total number of thumbs up and thumbs down given to an item or the number produced by subtracting thumbs down from thumbs up. In the latter case, an item that received exactly ten of each would read as having a rating of zero, rather than one of +10/-10. Often, users may view alist of items in order ofpopularity, as ranked by this metric.
Hitchhikers inthe West traditionally use a thumb gesture to solicit rides from oncoming vehicles. However, in this presentation, the arm is generally outstretched with the palm and closed fingers facing the motorist. The gesture is usually performed with the hand nearest the motorist and points down the road, indicating the hopeful destination. A hitchhiker may wave the hand, emphasizing the directional meaning. This is similar to the "thumb towards the door" gesture, for "get out of here!"[22]
Inscuba diving, the thumbs-up gesture is a specificdiving signal given underwater, in which the diver indicates that he or she is about to stop his or her dive and ascend. This occasionally confuses new divers, who might automatically gesture thumbs-up when trying to indicate approval—actually indicating a desire to stop diving and to ascend. The diving signal for approval is theA-ok sign.[23]
Inbasketball, when a held ball occurs, anofficial will jerk both thumbs in the air, signalling that ajump ball is in order.
Inbaseball,umpires will sometimes jerk a thumbs-up over their shoulder as an "out" signal
Amusement park rides such asroller coasters are usually cleared for departure using a thumbs-up signal from the workers after inspection that all safety precautions have been taken.
Texas A&M University uses a thumbs-up as theirGig 'em hand signal, as it represents the action ofgigging. The gesture and corresponding slogan "Gig 'em, Aggies!" were popularized in the early 20th century, becoming the first hand sign of theSouthwest Conference.[24]
Unicode code points related to thumb signals include:
Many keyboardemoticons utilize the shapes of lowercase "b" and "d" to represent a thumbs-up sign. Simple versions incorporate a dash for the wrist:-b or=b (right hand) andd- ord= (left hand). Many Japanesekaomoji icons place the thumbs beside a face constructed from punctuation marks, such asd(＾＾)ｂ orb(~_^)d.[25] Variousinstant messaging services use(y) and(n) as a shortcut for thumbs up and thumbs downemoji.[26][27]
