Common ASL idiomatic expressions and signs whose meaning is not a literal, word-for-word match with English, one expression per card. Front: the English phrase or meaning. Back: a written description of the sign(s) and non-manual markers used, plus a note on the figurative meaning.
32 cards · basic cards · AI-written, checked twice. Edit anything.
- Long time no see
- A bent-5 hand sweeps across the shoulder from the neck outward, meaning a long time has passed since seeing someone.
- Missed it entirely
- Two flat hands, one sliding past the other quickly while moving away, palms down, meaning you missed an opportunity or didn't catch something in time.
- A flirt
- A claw hand strokes down the face from the nose outward, used to describe someone who flirts a lot.
- Calm down
- A flat hand pats downward in front of the chest repeatedly, meaning relax or calm down.
- Fed up
- A flat hand slices across the forehead, meaning someone is completely fed up or has had enough.
- Oblivious
- The index finger taps the temple then shakes side to side, meaning someone is clueless or not paying attention.
- A total loss
- Both hands form a circle shape and pull apart sharply, meaning something amounted to nothing.
- Stop talking, sign only
- A flat hand covers the mouth and moves downward, meaning stop talking and communicate only in sign.
- Foolish or silly
- The index finger taps the temple with a small pinched motion, meaning someone is being silly or not thinking clearly.
- Seriously, for real
- Both flat hands, palms facing up, move outward from the chest, meaning seriously or I'm telling the truth.
- Keep it in mind
- An S hand taps against the temple, meaning to remember or store information in mind.
- Something amazing
- A fist opens explosively upward near the shoulder, meaning something is excellent or impressive.
- Not enough, fell short
- One flat hand moves forward and drops short of touching the other hand, meaning an effort did not meet expectations.
- Suddenly understand
- The index finger and thumb snap near the forehead as if flipping a switch, meaning to suddenly understand something.
- Miss the opportunity
- A hand shaped like a boat slides forward and away while the other hand reaches too late to catch it, meaning to miss a chance.
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