Thumbing one's nose

Thumbing one's nose, also known as cocking a snook,^[1] is a sign of derision, disrespect, contempt, or defiance, made by putting the thumb on the nose, holding the palm open and perpendicular to the face, and wiggling the remaining fingers.^[2][3] It is used mostly by schoolchildren. It is also known as thumbing the nose, Anne's Fan or Queen Anne's Fan.^[4][5]

The phrase cocking a snook can be used figuratively: the Oxford English Dictionary cites a 1938 usage by Eric Ambler in his Cause for Alarm, where he writes that the Rome–Berlin axis "cocked the biggest snook yet at the League of Nations idea".^[6]

The gesture was commonly used by Charlie Chaplin, especially in his earlier films.^[7]