ASL IDIOMS &
EXPRESSIONS
Presented by
Paulette Sottak
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An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011
ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
The signs I will demonstrate are ASL idioms
that are expressed with both signs and facial
expressions. They can contain single or
compound signs as well as entire phrases.
These are fun signs used often and well worth
knowing.
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An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011
ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
MOST COMMONLY USED SIGNS
… that you may have already learned from your current
or previous ASL classes …
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KISS-FIST
O-I-C
FINISH
WHAT’S-UP?
An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011
ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
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ANNOYING; PET-PEEVE
(SICK sign; twisting on forehead)
-
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“It’s annoying.”
“Cutting in line is my pet peeve!”
An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011
ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
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YOU-GOT-ME
(SICK sign; moving in a couple of ways)
(palm inward)
- “Chuckling”
- “Oh, Brother!” – in response to a joke
- “Oh, come on!” or “Oh, please!”
(palm outward)
- “You got me!”
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An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011
ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
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TAKE-RISK/CHANCE
[HS: 11 off from ears (palms inward), then fingers
extended]
- “No guts, no glory!”
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An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011
ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
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LONG-TIME
(HS: Y; thumb on forehead, move straight forward) –
usually associated with negativity
- “What takes you so long?”
- “That’s too long.”
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An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011
ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
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DIDN’T-SAY-THAT
(HS: 1; tapping once on lip)
- “I didn’t say that.” (to clarify)
- “I didn’t mean that.” (error)
Note different facial expressions for both.
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An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011
ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
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GOOD-RIDDANCE
(HS: 55; middle fingers sticking out; moving forward)
- “Finally I got through with it!”
- “Bob has finally moved out. Good riddance!”
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An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011
ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
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STARTLED
(“Light-on-then-off” sign on chest)
–
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“You scared the heck out of me!”
An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011
ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
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STAY-HOME
(BASEMENT sign)
- “Howard Hughes was a hermit.”
- “We’ve been snowed in for a week, and everyone
has cabin fever.”
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An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011
ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
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SECOND-A-MOTION
(HS: L; moving like shooting)
- “I second the motion (in a parliamentary meeting).”
- “Yes, I totally agree with you!”
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An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011
ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
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BETTER-THAN
(Shot-H – directional)
- “The University of Connecticut hammered Butler.”
- “I rooted for women’s NCAA Notre Dame, but they
were defeated by Texas A&M. Oh rats!”
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An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011
ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
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CLOSE-CALL
(HS: F; move forward from forehead)
- “My father was speeding when he saw a police car
parked on the side of the road. He slowed down
and passed without incident. It was a close call!”
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An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011
ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
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YOU/ME-TO-BE-BLAMED
(HS: A, moving outward from HS: B, palm down)
- “You didn’t read the instructions. It is all your fault.”
- “It’s all my fault for not telling you in the first place.”
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An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011
ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
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HOLD-FOR-A-WHILE
(SUSPEND sign)
- “Going for her master’s is on hold while my sister is
raising her family.”
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An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011
ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
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TALKING-TO-YOURSELF
(HS: ii, each from the temple to middle, bouncing)
- “Lynn caught me talking to myself.”
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An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011
ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
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IT’S-UP-TO-YOU
(Compound signs = THINK+YOURSELF)
- “It’s your call whether or not you move back with
your parents.”
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An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011
ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
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FEEL+NOTHING
(FEEL sign; then slide with HS:closed-5 over tip of
palm)
- “Oh gosh, I didn’t feel anything when you tried to
get my attention!”
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An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011
ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
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FUNNY-NONE
(Compound signs: FUNNY+ZERO)
- “That’s not funny.”
- “This is nothing to laugh about (serious).”
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An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011
ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
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PIECE-OF-CAKE
(HS:S, tap once on chin then twice on chest)
- “She thought her final exam was a piece of cake
(very easy).”
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An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011
ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
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END-OF-DISCUSSION
(Compound Signs: DISCUSS+VERY-DRY)
- “End of discussion. Period!”
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An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011
ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
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OH-RIGHT
(HS:closed-5; shake vertically)
- “He told me a fabricated story that went in one
ear and out the other.”
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An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011
ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
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WITH-EVERYTHING-ON-IT
(INCLUDE sign)*
- “Jan wants a pizza with everything on it.”
*often confused with “INVOLVED”
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An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011
ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
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HAVE-FUN-GOOD-LUCK
(HS: U; move in a “cross” direction
- “Oh, you are having Professor Snape (Harry Potter
Series) for your class. Good luck (sarcastic) with
him!”
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An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011
ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
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IMAGINE
(IDEA Sign)
- “Babies are born with 350 pieces of bone. Can
you imagine that!”
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An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011
ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
Tell me what you have learned so far.
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An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011
ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
THANK YOU
for supporting the Palomar College
ASL/Interpreting Department’s ASL Lab!
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An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011