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Friday, 21 May 2010

Dio's two-finger gesture - what does it mean?

Legendary rock singer Ronnie James Dio, who died on Sunday, popularised a hand gesture commonly used by heavy metal fans. But what does it mean?

It's a gesture commonly seen at rock concerts. The index finger and the little finger are upright and the thumb is clasped against the two middle fingers. Ronnie James Dio, who sang with Black Sabbath and Rainbow before forming his own band, was partly responsible for it becoming a common symbol among metal fans. But it has other uses too, depending on the position of the thumb, and the context. Here is a round-up of some of the common meanings. It has different meanings, depending on context and position of fingers:

For Dio, it was a superstitious way to ward off evil. At heavy metal gigs, fans use it to show their appreciation. For Texans like George W Bush, it is a show of support for the state university. In American sign language it means 'I love you'. Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have used it in this way. President Obama also does a Hawaiian 'aloha' greeting (BBC News)