Pfft!
The British expression "noise stroke gesture" (in American parlance, "noise slash gesture" or "noise/gesture") refers to the intriguing fact
that some vocal expressions seem to call for an accompanying hand
gesture. Take, for example, Pfft! No matter what its intended meaning, it virtually demands to be echoed in sign language.
Reader Jonathan Caws-Elwitt suggests some other great examples:
Someone pretends to moisten a finger,
then touches it briefly to her posterior and mimes the effect of the
finger "sizzling" -- to the accompaniment of a "Tsss"
vocalization. And how about the triumphant "Yessss!" that
is always(?) accompanied by body language? Or Fonzie's "Ayyyy"
with thumb extended? Or the one where someone acknowledges
someone else by briefly pointing at him/her while making a one- or
two-syllable clicking sound (reminiscent of a shutter-release)?
Have you noticed a noise/gesture in print? Please share!
(For a variety of surprising definitions of noises like pfft, check out my Dictionary of All-Consonant Words at OneLetterWords.com.) |
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The Frenchwoman ended the discussion with a fervent pfft, waving him away as she slid off her chair. —Sparkle Hayter, Bandit Queen Boogie: A Novel.
Reader Jonathan Caws-Elwitt suggests some other great "noise/gesture" examples:
Someone pretends to moisten a finger,
then touches it briefly to her posterior and mimes the effect of the
finger "sizzling" -- to the accompaniment of a "Tsss" vocalization.
And how about the triumphant "Yessss!" that is always(?) accompanied by
body language? Or Fonzie's "Ayyyy" with thumb extended? Or the one
where someone acknowledges someone else by briefly pointing at him/her
while making a one- or two-syllable clicking sound (reminiscent of a
shutter-release)?
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Original Content Copyright © 2025 by Craig Conley. All rights reserved.
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