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Devil horns - Definition |
| Related Words: Apollyon, Beelzebub, Belial, Lilith, Lucifer, Mafioso, Mephistopheles, Satan, Succubus, Xanthippe, Adventurer, Adversary, Afreet, Annoy, Antagonist |
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The mano cornuto (horned hand) gesture, also known as the "devil horns", "goat horns", "Hook 'em Horns", or just "the horns", is made by making a fist and extending the index finger and the pinky (figure A) .
HornDiagram.gif
This is not to be confused with the ASL "I Love You" sign made by extending the thumb as well (figure B).
Meanings
This gesture has a variety of meanings depending on culture and area. In some places it is a sexual insult, telling a man that he is a victim of adultery. In other cultures it is believed to ward off, or to bestow, the evil eye.
In heavy metal music, the sign was popularized by Ronnie James Dio, whose Italian mother used it to ward off the evil eye (malocchio). Metal fans embraced the gesture as a vague symbol of mysticism, Satan, evil, or simply "metal-ness," and it soon became nearly as commonplace at concerts as headbanging. The gesture has since spread beyond metal to all forms of rock music, and it is now nearly ubiquitous (though often confused by enthusiastic fans with the abovementioned "I Love You" sign).
Sometime before 2004, a variant emerged using the pinkies of both hands, often called "too much metal for one hand" (figure C). Some repeat this ad nauseam, with more participants (figure D).
This gesture is also used by Texas Longhorns fans, meaning "Hook 'em Horns".
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