What is the origin of the 'thumbs up - thumbs down' sign?

mibmob

Gladiator fights. [Aug 26 04 11:20 AM] mibmob writes: ..and there is still debate as to whether thumbs up meant that the gladiator's life was spared or whether it meant that it was ok to kill him! Aug 26 04, 10:55 AM

Siskin

Brewer's Dictionery of Phrase and Fable agrees with mibby: In the ancient Roman combats, when a Gladiator was vanquished it rested with the spectators to decide whether he should be slain or not. If they wished him to live, they shut up their thumbs in their fists; if to be slain they turned out their thumbs. A good example of this action was Peter Ustinov when he played Nero in 'Quo Vadis' Aug 26 04, 3:27 PM

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Is it bad for little children to suck their thumbs? Why, when boxing, did the old time boxers constantly flick their noses with their thumbs? They have not flesh, nor feather, nor scales, nor bone; yet they have fingers and thumbs of their own. What are they? Hanging the US flag upside down is a sign of what?

1 Thumbs Up! I was very pleased to receive a "thumbs up" badge after two recent offerings were picked as editor's choices. To mark that, here are 10 questions related to that vital (for humans) digit. Thematic 10Q Tough Tough 10 Q darksplash Jul 09 09 375 plays 2 All Thumbs As the title suggests, this quiz is all about thumbs and how they are used idiomatically, figuratively and literally. Thematic 20 Questions Average 20 Q Bigwoo Mar 31 09 690 plays 3 By The Pricking of My Thumbs This eerie tale begins when Tommy and Tuppence go to visit their old aunt at Sunny Ridge – a home for elderly people. Caution: spoilers. Tommy and Tuppence Average 10 Q zorba_scank May 02 05 282 plays