# What did I see: Right hand appeared to be under right arm pit. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 19, 2016, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-i-see-right-hand-appeared-to-be-under-right-arm-pit/757817 "2016-06-19T20:24:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![zuer-coli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ba9def/32.png) [@zuer-coli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zuer-coli)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2016, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-i-see-right-hand-appeared-to-be-under-right-arm-pit/757817/1 "2016-06-19T20:24:01Z")
I think I know the answer to this but If Dopers will indulge me with their thoughts. So I am driving toward a “tee” intersection, I’m on the street that would not turn if going straight. I see a Police car with it’s light’s flashing, as I get closer I see some Street Department workers doing something to a traffic control. I’m intending to make a left turn. I see a Police officer watching the SD workers and for all the world it appears as if he has his right hand under his right armpit, I make a double take, it looks the same. I am going into the left turn I am making and I don’t have very much time to look, so could just be a weird angle of view. As I saw it, the Officer had a short sleeve shirt, his right elbow looked to be tight to his side and as the title suggests it looked as if his right hand was tucked under his right armpit. I think that the Police Officer was wearing a vest and he had his hand inside the vest arm hole. What do Doper’s say? Zuer-coli ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2016, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-i-see-right-hand-appeared-to-be-under-right-arm-pit/757817/2 "2016-06-19T20:27:44Z")
Since nobody here saw it but you, this requires speculation. Let’s move this to IMHO. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2016, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-i-see-right-hand-appeared-to-be-under-right-arm-pit/757817/3 "2016-06-19T22:25:22Z")
Where was his right forearm? ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [June 19, 2016, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-i-see-right-hand-appeared-to-be-under-right-arm-pit/757817/4 "2016-06-19T22:28:03Z")
Since I doubt they let people with phocomelia (very short limbs, but often normally formed hands and feet, so sometimes it looks like their hands come right out of their shoulders) become police officers, he probably just had his arms folded, so you saw his left hand in his right armpit. He may have moved while you drove around, so that the next time you saw his left arm, it was by his left side, and it created a sort of optical illusion. ---
**Author:** ![dizzee\_dee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7c8e57/32.png) [@dizzee\_dee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dizzee_dee)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2016, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-i-see-right-hand-appeared-to-be-under-right-arm-pit/757817/5 "2016-06-20T01:05:32Z")
Flesh colored glove tucked under his arm. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2016, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-i-see-right-hand-appeared-to-be-under-right-arm-pit/757817/6 "2016-06-20T01:14:53Z")
> [@zuer-coli](#): > > As I saw it, the Officer had a short sleeve shirt, his right elbow looked to be tight to his side and as the title suggests it looked as if his right hand was tucked under his right armpit. Okay. So what? I can easily imagine someone (a bit more flexible than I) putting his hand into the same-side armpit and bringing the elbow in to touch his side. You’re making it sound like that’s physically impossible and I don’t see why it would be. Now if you want to give us some relevant details about exactly how his hand/finger/thumb were positioned and oriented, we may get a better idea of what you’re asking, and what you’re so excited about. (Note: we do not need more irrelevant details about where you were driving or what other people were doing.) ---
**Author:** ![zuer-coli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ba9def/32.png) [@zuer-coli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zuer-coli)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2016, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-i-see-right-hand-appeared-to-be-under-right-arm-pit/757817/7 "2016-06-20T01:20:59Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Since nobody here saw it but you, this requires speculation. Let’s move this to IMHO. > > Colibri > General Questions Moderator Tks ---
**Author:** ![spamforbrains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@spamforbrains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spamforbrains)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2016, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-i-see-right-hand-appeared-to-be-under-right-arm-pit/757817/8 "2016-06-20T01:41:17Z")
> [@](#): > > it looked as if his right hand was tucked under his right armpit. > > I think that the Police Officer was wearing a vest and he had his hand inside the vest arm hole. um, ok. So what? ---
**Author:** ![zuer-coli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ba9def/32.png) [@zuer-coli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zuer-coli)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2016, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-i-see-right-hand-appeared-to-be-under-right-arm-pit/757817/9 "2016-06-20T01:52:55Z")
> [@Gary\_T](#): > > Okay. So what? > > I can easily imagine someone (a bit more flexible than I) putting his hand into the same-side armpit and bringing the elbow in to touch his side. You’re making it sound like that’s physically impossible and I don’t see why it would be. > > Now if you want to give us some relevant details about exactly how his hand/finger/thumb were positioned and oriented, we may get a better idea of what you’re asking, and what you’re so excited about. > > (Note: we do not need more irrelevant details about where you were driving or what other people were doing.) It was just that brief a glance, so, no can’t add details I didn’t see. Did get the impression the back of the hand was facing out, but not at all sure. I will try to focus my posts a bit better in the future, I learn best with feedback, so thank you for your critique. I was just trying to get an idea if what I think I saw was even possible, might a’ been something else entirely. For instance I can’t even get my hand inside the arm hole of a sleeveless vest in a way similar to what I have described. The closest I can get is to hook my thumbs behind the straps of a pair of bib overalls with the back of my hand facing out to each side. Zuer-coli ---
**Author:** ![zuer-coli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ba9def/32.png) [@zuer-coli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zuer-coli)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2016, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-i-see-right-hand-appeared-to-be-under-right-arm-pit/757817/10 "2016-06-20T01:56:36Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Where was his right forearm? Well, it did appear to be pretty tight to the right side of his chest. Zuer-coli ---
**Author:** ![spamforbrains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@spamforbrains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spamforbrains)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2016, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-i-see-right-hand-appeared-to-be-under-right-arm-pit/757817/11 "2016-06-20T02:13:36Z")
I can tuck my hand into my armpit. Not hard at all. Even easier to put your hand inside a vest’s armhole. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2016, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-i-see-right-hand-appeared-to-be-under-right-arm-pit/757817/12 "2016-06-20T17:07:18Z")
> [@spamforbrains](#): > > I can tuck my hand into my armpit. Not hard at all. Even easier to put your hand inside a vest’s armhole. Usually your forearm plus hand is longer than your upper arm minus shoulder. I can do it by bend my hand in a really weird way that hurts when I put my arm down, but not otherwise. I do know people who are flexible enough that this wouldn’t hurt, though. Now, doing it in an armhole is a completely different story. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2016, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-i-see-right-hand-appeared-to-be-under-right-arm-pit/757817/13 "2016-06-20T17:51:06Z")
What you saw was a glove. Not unusual at all. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [June 20, 2016, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-i-see-right-hand-appeared-to-be-under-right-arm-pit/757817/14 "2016-06-20T19:48:08Z")
Perhaps he had a communication device strapped onto his shoulder and was activating it with his hand? > [@Senegoid](#): > > Where was his right forearm? Attached to his hand. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![zuer-coli](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ba9def/32.png) [@zuer-coli](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zuer-coli)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2016, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-did-i-see-right-hand-appeared-to-be-under-right-arm-pit/757817/15 "2016-06-21T00:12:21Z")
Spamforbrains and BigT, your flexability is amazing! I will say that of all the suggestions made so far, I am most drawn to the glove hypothesis put forward by Panache45. Thanks to all who have been inerested enough to post and comment. Zuer-coli