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NOOKS AND CRANNIESWhat is the meaning behind that curious hand gesture which rock fans do during live gigs? The middle two fingers are held down by the thumb, leaving the fore finger and little finger sticking up.
Mick Conmy, Oxford, UK
The two fingers which stick out are suposed to be the horns of the devil. The way the fingers curl around in the hand also reveals three 6s - the number of the beast.
Stephen, Birmingham, UK
In the 1950s, Rock 'n' Roll was seen by some as the devil's music, no doubt because its roots are African-American and it encourages nice white kids to dance in a wholly pagan and un-christian way. The more the religious right thus condemned what was nothing more than the chosen music of the rebellious, so, by the 1970s, with bands like Black Sabbath, the more the rebellious would satirically play up to the notion that not only was the music wrong, but was actually satanic. The gesture represents the horns of the devil himself, and was no doubt intended to further provoke the religious nutters into ecstasies of righteous denunciation.
Simon Gilman, London
I suggest you see the film Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey for "sign of the Devil dude..."
Gordon Wilson, Reading
It's devil horns. When people put two hands together with just the pinkies up, it's "too much rock for one hand."
