With this illustrated guide, discover what hand gestures can offend others around the world—and whether you avoid making them or not is up to you. A hand gesture is arguably the most effective form of expression, whether you’re defaming a friend’s mother or telling a perfect stranger to get lost. Learn how to go beyond just flipping the bird with this illustrated guide to rude hand gestures all around the world, from asking for sex in the Middle East to calling someone crazy in Italy. Detailed photographs of hand models and subtle tips for proper usage make Rude Hand Gestures of the World the perfect companion for globe-trotters looking to offend. “If you’ve resolved to make the most of your travels, a copy of Rude Hand Gestures of the World to know what gestures you should avoid while abroad. Better safe than sorry!” —Buzzfeed

A hand gesture is arguably the most effective form of expression, whether you re defaming a friend s mother or telling a perfect stranger to get lost. Learn how to go beyond just flipping the bird with this illustrated guide to rude hand gestures all around the world, from asking for sex in the Middle East to calling someone crazy in Italy. Detailed photographs of hand models and subtle tips for proper usage make Rude Hand Gestures of the World the perfect companion for globe-trotters looking to offend.

“A rich smorgasbord of cultural information full of surprising and helpful revelations” (Roger Axtell, author of Do’s and Taboos Around the World). Your friend’s mother-in-law is visiting from Korea. When greeting her, do you bow, shake hands, or kiss her on both cheeks? The meeting with his international customers is going well for the corporate president—until he gives the thumbs-up sign. Why? You welcome your new neighbors with a bouquet of your prizewinning daffodils. Yet your beautiful yellow blossoms are met with looks of shock and horror. Why? Discover the answers in this incisive, award-winning guide to etiquette, now thoroughly revised to reflect today’s truly multicultural society. Both highly informative and entertaining, Multicultural Manners gives you the understanding you need, the perfect words to say, and the correct behavior to use in a wide range of cross-cultural situations. The book features completely updated etiquette guidelines with special emphasis on post–September 11 culture clashes as well as a brand-new section that demystifies unfamiliar cultures in the news. Norine Dresser identifies key cross-cultural hot spots and suggests methods that foster respect for diversity. You’ll discover: The dos and don’ts of successful business and social interaction with people from different cultures Appropriate etiquette regarding body language, food, child rearing, clothing, word choices, colors, entertaining, romance, and gift giving Detailed tips on avoiding embarrassment at work, in the classroom, in health care settings, on business trips, at meals, at weddings, at funerals, and on vacations and holidays Amusing firsthand accounts of cultural gaffes that illustrate how miscues happen—and how to avoid them A breakdown of customs, religions, languages, and ethnicities for seventy different countries

Historian and popular BBC TV presenter Ruth Goodman, author of How to Be a Tudor, offers up a history of Renaissance Britain - the offensive language, insulting gestures, insolent behaviour, brawling and scandal of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries - with practical tips on just how to horrify the Tudor neighbours.

This informative and engaging illustrated reference provides the stories behind 1,001 signs and symbols, from ancient hieroglyphs to modern-day political and subculture symbols. What in the world does Ω mean? And what about its meaning might have led my coffee date to tattoo it on his entire forearm? Where did the symbol ∞ originate, and what was its first meaning? How did the ampersand symbol & come about and how was it applied daily in book publishing? And what is the full story behind that staring eye on top of the pyramid on our American dollar bill? This comprehensive guide to signs and symbols explains. Find within: More than 1,000 illustrations An extensive collection of written and cultural symbols, including animals, instruments, stones, shapes, numbers, colors, plants, food, parts of the body, religious and astrological symbols, emojis, and gestures Historical facts culled from a wide variety of sources Learn all about the signs and symbols that surround us and their part in our rich world history.

This book presents a repertoire of conventionalized co-speech gestures used by Hausa speakers from northern Nigeria.

A story about a rude cake who never says please or thank you or listens to its parents, and a Giant Cyclops who is polite.