10 Ways You've Been Accidentally Insulting People Every Day
8. Rock On
The "rock on!" gesture, also known as "devil horns", might be a good way to get your head-banging on, but beware its true meaning in countries like Italy, Spain, Brazil, and many other places.
If you feel in the mood to rock out, try and find another gesture that doesn't inform the man next to you that his wife is cheating on him.
And if you thought that wasn't bad enough, then you haven't been to any Nordic countries. You might think you are hailing the gods of rock, but to everyone else, you are hailing Satan.
On the other hand, if you are visiting an area with a high Buddhist or Hindu population, it might be interesting to ask them about the origins of the hand gesture in their respective religions. Shortly put, in Hinduism the gesture is used in classical Indian dances to represent the lion and in Buddhism the gesture is associated with the expulsion of demons. In some Mediterranean cultures, the gesture can be used when facing or hearing about unfortunate events. It is basically a sign to fend off bad luck.
It might just be safer to reserve sticking up your finger horns to areas where you know it is okay. You can never know who will realize this gesture as the insult it wasn't intended to be, especially in highly religious areas where hailing Satan and rock music can be taboo.