Talk:Thumb signal

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Suggestion - Move[edit]

As just noted in the "Silly title" section, the title of this article isn't good English. It should use the singular noun "thumb", not the plural "thumbs" in conformity with standard English rules. - Eponymous-Archon (talk) 21:40, 9 December 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Right. In 2010 the article was moved from Thumbs up to Thumbs Signal in an attempt to be more inclusive of thumbs up AND down. I wouldn't see a problem with keeping information about "thumbs down" on a page entitled "thumbs up", but if we want it to be "signal" it should be singular. If nobody objects in the next week or so I'll change it. Hoof Hearted (talk) 22:31, 11 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Because I'm not sure I understood, you want it to be "Thumb Signal[s]"? If so, 👍🏽 - Eponymous-Archon (talk) 22:38, 11 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

I was thinking "Thumb signal" per WP:SINGULAR, but yes, maybe the plural signal ("Thumb signals") would be an appropriate exception to the rule. I thought the first sentence might read something like: "A thumb signal, usually referred to as thumbs up or thumbs down, is a common hand gesture..." Hoof Hearted (talk) 15:44, 12 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Why is there no apostrophe in thumbs?

...Hitchhikers in the West traditionally...[edit]

In Melbourne, Australia, in the mid 70's, using an upraised thumb to hitch (the "up your bum" sign), could still get you thumped by young men spilling out of a car that had just passed.

The common hitchhiking sign was one or two fingers (index or index and middle).

And yes, (index and middle) could be construed as an insult if you weren't careful. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.206.162.148 (talk) 07:50, 8 September 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Origins section[edit]

I split this section in two because the US story clearly is not a possible origin; we already have an early 17th century painting featuring the gesture in Europe as a positive sign. Furthermore, the picture is of a British driver in 1940. The US didn't join the war until 1941 and didn't enter Europe until 1944, so this pic doesn't support the text. Prinsgezinde (talk) 22:54, 25 November 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Negative Connotations[edit]

Googling around, it would appear a number of countries including China find the gesture insulting. See also "Hitchhikers in the West traditionally" above.

Surely for balance, there should be some details in the article regarding Negative Connotations. 86.132.40.15 (talk) 13:37, 23 July 2020 (UTC)[reply]

If that's the case then there should be reliable published sources to support that claim. We have one source for a negative connotation and a sentence about it in Thumb signal #International usage. Wikipedia doesn't do "balance"; it just reports what reliable sources say. --RexxS (talk) 18:30, 25 July 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Too many images[edit]

The article contains far too many images for its length. There is no need for eight images of thumbs to show the reader what a thumb signal looks like. Images are not references and we don't use an image of someone allegedly from Australia to verify a claim that a thumb signal is used in Australia, and so on. We use reliable published sources to support claims, not innuendo from a picture. I propose cutting down the images to two or three maximum, as that should be sufficient to convey the information. If readers want to see images of thumb gestures, there are galleries on Commons at c:Thumbs up and c:Thumbs down. --RexxS (talk) 18:21, 25 July 2020 (UTC)[reply]

Different positive usage in India[edit]

In India the Thumbs-up gesture is commonly used to wish good luck. I don't know if it is traditional or modified usage of the Western practice but it seems interesting and noteworthy (to me)

KropotkinSchmopotkin (talk) 19:16, 6 September 2021 (UTC)[reply]

hey[edit]

buckle up phone down — Preceding unsigned comment added by CrashAwesome (talk • contribs) 17:15, 30 November 2021 (UTC)[reply]

International Usage[edit]

"In Germany, France, and Hungary, the gesture can simply indicate the number one, in the right context." <-- There's no citation for this claim. To my knowledge, at least for germany, this is not used to indicate the number one. I suggest removing this passage. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.138.55.212 (talk) 05:50, 10 June 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Measurement with thumb in painting[edit]

The thumb up in this painting, mentioned in the srticle, could be the person imitating the artist taking measuremnets with his brush and thumb...? 0m9Ep (talk) 12:35, 20 January 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Reversed Thumbs Up Sign[edit]

What is the meaning of the REVERSED THUMBS UP SIGN?--2A02:810A:1E40:A14:A99B:998C:D15:A890 (talk) 16:42, 27 July 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Siskel and Ebert[edit]

I'm not going to take the time to write it right now, but I really feel like Siskel and Ebert should be in this article as well. They helped to popularize the gesture in the United States, I think. 151.197.55.253 (talk) 13:33, 7 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]