Phrase guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
No pronunciation record was provided for this word.
noun
The V sign (of contempt or insult).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: UK
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: Harvey Smith, Harvey Smith salute
Antonyms: none provided
History
After Harvey Smith, a British show jumping champion, who made a V sign to the judges in 1971 after a near perfect round. Smith had previously been in an argument with one of the judges, who had said that he (Smith) would not win. Having proved the judge wrong, Smith made the insulting gesture, although in the ensuing controversy he claimed that it had been a V sign of victory. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2009/aug/15/harvey-smith-shows-v-sign
