Whatever was actually believed in ancient Rome, the 17th century English writer Philemon Holland believed that thumbs down was a mark of approval. To-day they hold shows of their own, and win applause by slaying whomsoever the mob with a turn of the thumb bids them slay. Thumbs up! Thumbs down! And the killers, spare or slay.Ģ. Lines of his have been translated thus:ġ. Roman texts, notably by the 2nd century poet Juvenal, are ambiguous. The original Latin texts are difficult to interpret. However, scholars of Roman texts disagree about the meaning of the gestures. The 'thumbs down' gestures of the crowd in Gérôme's popular picture were interpreted by the 19th century public as signs of disapproval. Okay, so if it's widely known, why does it need to be included here? Well, as so often with etymology, the truth isn't quite so simple.įirstly, the thumbs up gesture is misnamed as it is usually performed using only one thumb.Īs to the origin, the belief that the 'thumbs-up' and 'thumbs-down' gestures indicated approval and disapproval respectively entered the public consciousness with Jean-Léon Gérôme's 1872 painting 'Pollice Verso' (shown at top of page). It is widely known that this gesture originates from the gladiatorial contests of ancient Rome, in which the fate of a losing fighter was decided by gestures from the crowd. What's the origin of the phrase 'Thumbs up'?
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