Snapping (orclicking) one'sfingers is the act of creating a snapping or clicking sound with one's fingers. Primarily, this is done by building tension between thethumb and another (middle,index, orring) finger and then moving the other finger forcefully downward, so it hits the palm of the samehand at a high speed.
AGeorgia Institute of Technology study in 2021 analyzed finger snapping, and found that a given audible snap sound occurs in just seven milliseconds. For reference, theblink of an eye takes place in 150 milliseconds.[1][2]
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InAncient Greece, snapping of fingers was used by musicians and dancers as a way to keep the rhythm[3] and it was known with the words "ἀποληκέω" (apolekeo),[4] "ἀποκρότημα" (apokrotema)[5] (from the verb "ἀποκροτέω" -apokroteo, "to snap the fingers")[6] and "ἐπίπταισμα" (epiptaisma).[7] Finger snapping is still common in modernGreece.
Finger snapping may be used as a substitute forhand clapping. A possible reason is that snapping is "less disruptive than clapping during speeches and announcements."[8] The practice of finger snapping is also popular within thepoetry slam community, used by the audience as a spontaneous in-the-moment show of support or agreement with what is being shared by the poet. The practice has also infiltrated some conferences.[9]
Finger snapping played a prominent part in a series of charity appeal adverts forMake Poverty History in 2005. Many famous faces includingBono,Bob Geldof andKate Moss took part in the appeals. They wore a white top and Make Poverty Historycharity wristband and these appeals were filmed ingrayscale on a white background, and they would click their fingers in the appeal to represent a child dying frompoverty every three seconds in Africa.[10] During the opening of thePhiladelphiaLive 8 concert, rapper and actorWill Smith led the combined audiences ofLondon, Philadelphia,Berlin,Rome,Paris andBarrie in a synchronised finger snap.[11][12]
Finger snapping at someone has long been used as a sassy diva gesture, done to express a taunting satisfaction following what one has considered to be an impressive insult or diss.[13] Sometimes finger-snapping is done in rapid succession for emphasis and combined with other types of sassy diva mannerisms, such asswivel-hipping and head-gyrating. It is largely associated withgay men andwomen, particularly gay black American men and black American women. It was derived in the 1980s and 90s from Black American gay male subcultures.[14][15]
In theMarvel Cinematic Universe live-action filmAvengers: Infinity War (2018),Thanos snaps his fingers causingthe Blip.[16] In the live-action film,Avengers: Endgame (2019),Bruce Banner andTony Stark snap their fingers, reversing the Blip and defeating an alternate Thanos, who also snapped his fingers to no effect.
In the manga and anime "Fullmetal Alchemist" Colonel Roy Mustang activates his Alchemy by snapping his fingers.
In many cultures, finger snapping is a form ofbody percussion.
Sounds of a fingersnap also are sampled and used in many disparate genres of music, used mostly as percussion; the works ofAngelo Badalamenti exhibit this in the soundtracks to, e.g.,Twin Peaks,Lost Highway, as doesthe theme song from the television seriesThe Addams Family. Furthermore, a subgenre ofhip hop known assnap music formed in the early 2000s in thesouthern United States.
Beshkan (Persian: بشكن), also known as the "Persian snap", is a traditional Iranian finger snap requiring both hands. The snapper creates a clicking noise similar in mechanism to the normal snap but louder in practice.
There are two variations of the Persian snap. The most common of the two for a right-handed individual is as follows:[17]
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