Hand and Thumb Gesturesfhumbs-Protruding-from-Coat-PocketThis gesture is common to
men and women who feel
they are in a superior posi-
tion to others. It's one of
Prince Charles' regular
gestures and reveals the in-
control attitude he feels at
the time. In a work envi-
ronment, the boss will
walk around the office in
the position and, when the
boss is away, the person
who is next in charge will
walk around using it. But
none of the subordinates
would dare to use it in
front of the boss.
Thumb displays can
become obvious when a
person gives a contradic-
tory verbal message. Take, for example, the lawyer who turns
to the jury and in a soft, low voice says, 'In my humble
opinion, ladies and gentlemen ...' while displaying his thumbs
and tilting back his head to 'look down his nose' at them.
Prince Charles using his Thumb-
Protruding-from-Coat-Pocket gestureA lawyer pretending
to be humble