# What does one long fingernail mean?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-one-long-fingernail-mean/143745>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 19, 2002, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-one-long-fingernail-mean/143745 "2002-12-19T05:14:09Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\
**Post date:** [December 26, 2002, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-one-long-fingernail-mean/143745/41 "2002-12-26T21:29:10Z")

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Did a Jeeves search…

Came up with most of the answers mentioned above.  
Sign of wealth,  
That your labor days are behind you,  
Neglect,  
Keyboard striking reasons,  
To pierce for jewelry,  
Cocaine.

[Here](http://ask.com/main/askjeeves.asp?ask=long+pinkie+nails&qsrc=0&adcat=app&ac=12&qid=585BEC172DB7E541A30CC45A9083088F&dt=021226132159&pg=2&dir=bk) are the results of the search.

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**Author:** ![raygirvan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac91a4/32.png) [@raygirvan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raygirvan)\
**Post date:** [December 28, 2002, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-one-long-fingernail-mean/143745/42 "2002-12-28T15:09:46Z")

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A Google search produced some interesting ones: that Picasso kept a long little fingernail for mixing paints, and (a probable explanation for the Delany observation) that Turkish men commonly keep such a nail for opening cigarette wrappers.

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**Author:** ![sleeping](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@sleeping](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleeping)\
**Post date:** [December 28, 2002, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-one-long-fingernail-mean/143745/43 "2002-12-28T20:05:11Z")

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My grandfather has a long fingernail on his pinky. But he is from Europe, is not by any means a hippy, does not do drugs, is not a pimp, does not smoke, and does not care at all about fashion (in fact, he doesn’t even know what the post 1950’s fashions were/are). Not to mention, the fact that he keeps it clean and does not use it to clean an ear or a nostril.

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**Author:** ![jmpride62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c37758/32.png) [@jmpride62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jmpride62)\
**Post date:** [December 28, 2002, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-one-long-fingernail-mean/143745/44 "2002-12-28T20:59:13Z")

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I once met a guy who kept one nail long as an anger management technique. When he made a fist, the nail would remind him to reconsider his actions before striking someone.

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**Author:** ![sleeping](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@sleeping](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleeping)\
**Post date:** [December 28, 2002, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-one-long-fingernail-mean/143745/45 "2002-12-28T21:06:01Z")

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Haha  
That’s the best explanation so far!

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