Before visiting any country, learn some of the gestures they may interpret very differently, and then, don't do them ever there. Because you may not only offend someone, you might actually get in trouble there. Check out some of the gestures you shouldn't do at certain places.

The Chin Flick

Where: Belgium, France, Northern Italy, Russia
How to do: Brushing your hand under the chin in a forward flicking motion.
What it means: ‘Get lost.’.

The Fig

Where: Turkey, Russia, Indonesia
What it is: Clenching your hand to a fist with your thumb protruding between the first two fingers.
How to do: Screw you. It also symbolizes female genitalia in some countries, as the Italian word for vulva is fig.

‘OK’

If used in Greece, Spain or Brazil, you are calling someone an asshole.

Five Fathers

Where: Arab countries, Caribbean
How to do: Pointing your left index finger at your right hand while grouping all fingers on the right hand together.
What it means: You have 5 fathers, an insulting way of saying your mother is a whore.

Rock on

In Spain, Italy and Greece, this is used to signify that your wife is sleeping with someone else.

The Forearm Jerk

Where: France, Southern Europe, Brazil
How to do: Slapping one hand down on the opposite bicep and raising that arm into a fist.
What it means: Equivalent of giving someone the middle finger and means ‘up yours.’

The Cutis

Where: India, Pakistan
How to do: Basically a thumbs up, except you push the nail on your thumb against your front teeth and flick while saying ‘cuttal.’
What it means: Fuck you.

Nodding/Shaking head

The gestures are reversed in Greece, India and Bulgaria, where nodding the head up and down means NO and shaking or tilting the head means YES.

The Moutza

Where: Greece, Mexico, Middle East. Africa
How to do: Thrusting your spread hand towards another person with your palm facing them.
What it means: The gesture conveys displeasure towards the recipient. The origin of this gesture is said to be the Byzantine, when criminals were shamed by rubbing handfuls of cinder over their faces.

Beckoning sign

The ‘come here’ gesture is one of the worst signals you can use in the Philippines. So rude and offensive and, it's only used on dogs. You can even get arrested for using it.


We doubt Kate Upton is offensive anywhere.