# What's sign language for.... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 30, 2003, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-sign-language-for/165198 "2003-03-30T09:24:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-sign-language-for/165198/1 "2003-03-30T09:24:58Z")
Beer? I know soda pop is a fist with 3 wiggling fingers on top to make the “fizz”, so I’m thinking it’s something similar. Anybody know what it is? **Handy** , you out there? ---
**Author:** ![gris\_gris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/439d5e/32.png) [@gris\_gris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gris_gris)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-sign-language-for/165198/2 "2003-03-30T12:25:44Z")
Its for deaf people to comunicate to eachother. ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-sign-language-for/165198/3 "2003-03-30T12:38:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gris gris \* > \*\*Its for deaf people to comunicate to eachother. \*\* Well then, maybe you should learn it because you can’t spell for shit! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-sign-language-for/165198/4 "2003-03-30T13:16:06Z")
I work with a deaf guy, but I won’t see him until Monday morning. I’ll ask him, if this isn’t answered by then. I yahooed ASL dictionaries, and the first two didn’t list “beer.” Alcohol and drink, yes, but no beer. ---
**Author:** ![Simple\_Dreamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Simple\_Dreamer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Dreamer)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-sign-language-for/165198/5 "2003-03-30T13:50:33Z")
This is an animated dictionary… the page should show “beer” for you. [http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/aslweb/B/W0347.htm](http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/aslweb/B/W0347.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-sign-language-for/165198/6 "2003-03-30T14:05:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by YMwife \* > \*\*This is an animated dictionary… the page should show “beer” for you. > > [http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/aslweb/B/W0347.htm](http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/aslweb/B/W0347.htm) \*\* Thanks for the link YMwife. It’s similar to the common gesture of a fist with the thumb extended and the pouring down the throat motion that we all use. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-sign-language-for/165198/7 "2003-03-30T14:11:23Z")
Pet Peeve Time: It seems you’re asking what the **American Sign Language** (ASL) term for “beer” is. There are many sign languages out there, as different from one another as spoken languages are, and there’s no universal sign for brewski. We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread, already in progress. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-sign-language-for/165198/8 "2003-03-30T15:16:27Z")
All I know in sign language is how to say is “I love you,” “nice butt” and “call me.” I get along very well with those. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2003, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-sign-language-for/165198/9 "2003-03-30T17:08:45Z")
In what order do you use them Zoe? There are probably a few ways to sign ‘beer’ like just a 'B" near the mouth. That fist with a thumb sign seems too generic for me. Being only 4 letters, you could fingerspell it.