Bras d'honneur

A bras d'honneur (French pronunciation: ​[bʁa.dɔ'nœʁ] ; French: "arm of honor") is an obscene gesture. To form the gesture, an arm is bent to make an L-shape, while the other hand then grips the biceps of the bent arm, and the bent forearm is then raised vertically emphatically. It has the same meaning as giving the finger (known as le doigt d'honneur), though this particular usage is often connotated as relating to the phrase "Up Yours". Occasionally, the middle finger of the bent arm is also raised to add emphasis.

International nomenclature

In Brazil, the sign is known as a "banana" and carries the same connotation as giving someone the finger. It can also be used to denote disrespectfully ignoring what someone just said, analogous in meaning to the American expression "I don't give a fuck". In some South American countries it is called "corte de mangas" ("sleeve-cut") with the same meaning. In Spain is also known as "corte de manga" and is usually accompanied by the finger.

In Colombia the gesture has the function of replacing the raised middle finger, meaning "jódete" or "friégate". In Portugal, the gesture has the same insulting meaning as in other cultures and is called a "manguito," which shows a relationship with the similar Spanish phrase "corte de mangas". It is also the most characteristic gesture performed by the Portuguese everyman Zé Povinho. In Mexico, the sign is known as a "mentada de madre" (Insult to someone's mother) and means an insult directed towards the mother of the offended, though it can be done with a single hand.

In Italy it is often referred to as gesto dell'ombrello, meaning literally "umbrella gesture." Its most famous occurrence in Italian cinema is in Federico Fellini's I vitelloni (1953), where the idler played by Alberto Sordi jeers at a group of workmen, combining this gesture with a raspberry.

In Poland, the gesture is known as gest Kozakiewicza ("Kozakiewicz's gesture") after Władysław Kozakiewicz, who famously displayed this gesture after winning the gold medal in the pole vault at the 1980 Summer Olympics in front of a hostile crowd in Moscow. This coincided with the rise of the Solidarity Union in Poland in 1980. In Croatia, the gesture is known as bosanski grb ("The Bosnian Coat-of-Arms") after the territorial coat of arms of Bosnia during the Austro-Hungarian reign, that is somewhat similar to the actual gesture.

In The United States of America, it is sometimes known as "The Arm", due to the way the gesture is performed. It is also known as "the Italian salute."

In Bulgaria the bent hand is sometimes used to form a facepalm when performing this gesture, expressing strong disappointment, or mocking a failure.

External links

• French gestures on About.com