(See also RIDICULE.)

barrack To boo or hiss; to voice loudly one’s disapproval of a player, performer, or team at a public event. This British term is thought by some to be a back formation of the cockney word barrakin ‘senseless talk,’ although the OED claims an Australian origin. The word appeared in use in the late 19th century. The term to barrack for has the opposite meaning: ‘to cheer for, or support vocally.’

bite one’s thumb at To insult or show contempt for someone. The gesture, as defined by the 17th-century English lexicographer Randle Cotgrave, meant “to threaten or defy by putting the thumb nail into the mouth, and with a jerk [from the upper teeth] make it to knack [click or snap].” A famous use of the phrase is from Shakespeare:

catcall A harsh, whistling sound, something like the cry of a cat, used by theater and other audiences to express their disapproval, displeasure, or impatience; the whistlelike instrument used to make this sound. This term dates from the mid-1600s.

cock a snook A British slang expression for the gesture of putting one’s thumb on one’s nose and extending the fingers, equivalent to thumb one’s nose. The origin of snook is obscure, and based on citations from as early as 1879, it can refer to other derisive gestures as well. An earlier form of this phrase is to take a sight.

A current variant of snook is snoot, a slang term for the nose.

fork the fingers To use one’s digits in a disdainful motion toward another person. This self-explanatory expression is heard less often now than in past centuries.

give the bird To hiss or boo; to dismiss or fire; to receive unsupportive, hostile feedback. The original phrase was give the goose, a theater slang expression dating from the beginning of the 19th century. Goose or bird, and currently raspberry or Bronx cheer, refer to the hissing sound made by an audience mimicking the similar sound made by a goose. It expresses disapproval, hostility, or rejection, and was directed at a performer or the play. Today it is a popular sound effect used by crowds at sporting events, although give the bird is also heard in other unrelated contexts. For example, an employer who dismisses an employee is said to give the bird, akin to give the sack. And in interpersonal relationships, the bird is analogous to the brush-off or the gate.

A familiar vulgar meaning of give the bird is to make the obscene and offensive gesture of extending the middle finger.

give the fig To insult; also the fig of Spain and the now obsolete to give the fico. The fig or Italian fico is a contemptuous gesture which involves putting the thumb between the first two fingers or in the mouth. English versions of both expressions date from the late 16th century. The equivalent French and Spanish phrases are faire la figue and dar la higa respectively.

give the raspberry To show ridicule or disapproval by making a vulgar noise; to respond in a scornful, acrimonious manner. Raspberry, a slang term dating from the turn of the century, refers to any expression of disapproval or scorn.

However, the most common raspberry is the sound effect known also as the bird, goose, or Bronx cheer. Razz, short for raspberry, is a slang verb meaning ‘to ridicule or deride,’ akin in use to the verb tease.

make horns at To insult by making the offensive gesture of extending the fist with the forefinger and pinkie extended and the middle fingers doubled in. This now obsolete derisive expression implies that the person being insulted is a cuckold.

See wear the horns, INFIDELITY.

a plague on both your houses An imprecation invoked upon two parties, each at odds with the other; often a denunciation of both of America’s two leading political parties. Shakespeare coined this expression in Romeo and Juliet (III, i):

a slap in the face A stinging insult; a harsh or sarcastic rejection, rebuke, or censure. This expression alludes to a literal blow to the face, a universal sign of rejection or disapproval. The implication is that a verbal blow, particularly an unexpected one, can be just as painful and devastating as a physical one.

thumb one’s nose Literally, to put one’s thumb to one’s nose and extend the fingers, a gesture expressive of scorn, derision or contempt. This U.S. phrase came into use concurrently with give the raspberry in the early 1900s and is popular today. The gesture is considered offensive, but not as vulgar as the gesture known as the bird.