sign of the horns
U+1F918
− Avoid when: aimed palm-out at a person in Italy, Spain, Greece or Latin America it can read as the cuckold insult below
Definitions (5)
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The devil horns of rock and metal — index and pinky up, thumb tucked over the middle fingers, thrown to show approval or headbang solidarity. Popularised in metal by Ronnie James Dio around 1979.
Avoid when
- −aimed palm-out at a person in Italy, Spain, Greece or Latin America it can read as the cuckold insult below
The "corna" — thrust aggressively at someone, it calls them a cuckold (that their partner is unfaithful). A pointed sexual insult, not a compliment.
Avoid when
- −directing it at a person in these regions — it is a fighting-words insult
An apotropaic charm — fingers pointed downward to ward off the evil eye (malocchio) and bad luck. The older Mediterranean root Dio borrowed from his grandmother.
"Hook 'em Horns" — a school-spirit sign shaped like the horns of the University of Texas Longhorn mascot, flashed at games and rallies.
A protective spiritual gesture to remove negative energy and ward off evil, appearing as mudras (Karana Mudra) in Buddhist and Hindu practice and Indian classical dance.