Why does rubbing your index fingers together mean "shame on you"?

Factual Questions
1

And who does it mean “shame on you”? to? Just Americans? Canadians? The British?

Just wondering.

2

You mean as if one finger was a carrot and the other were the peeler?

3

Here are some excerpts from a Google search (take your pick):

(1) According to BODYTALK: A WORLD GUIDE TO GESTURES (1994) by Desmond Morris, the SHAME ON YOU gesture used with or by children, only appears in North America. The origin of the gesture is unknown, but the rubbing of two fingers is thought to symbolize friction. There is a related gesture, with a different meaning, however, used in Wales, Germany, and Austria, in which one finger ‘saws’ across the other pointed one, and which is considered an insult. The idea of friction is also considered to be playing a role here, but its origin is also unknown.

(2) The custom originated in medievil England when pickpockets ofter had their fingers cut off. Originally, kids would make a chopping gesture with one index finger against the other as a threat or warning that the “recipient” would be shamefully punished.

(3) I read somewhere that the “shame on you” finger gesture (which seems to disappear from our catalog of gestures by our junior high years) stems from making the sign of the cross to ward off evil. Perhaps we were trying to keep the shame of the offending person from being transmitted to us.

4

There are two popular explanations–

  1. The gesture was originally one of “chopping” rather than “rubbing,” and referred to a common punishment for thieves.

  2. The “rubbing” bit came later, and originally it was just folks making an ad hoc cross to ward of wickedness.

Both of these explanations seem a bit dubious to me. When I was a kid, I strongly associated that gesture with the taunt “Liar, liar, pants on fire!” and assumed it referred to starting a fire by rubbing two sticks together. I’d say that’s probably in the same ballpark as the other two for having some actual resemblance to the true origin – for whatever that’s worth. :smiley:

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Doh!