# Why was Nibali sucking his thumb?



## jmorgan (Apr 13, 2012)

So this is Nibali's winning salute.

I understand the pistols, I understand arms up. This though I do not understand.


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## 55x11 (Apr 24, 2006)

he dedicated his victory to his baby.


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## Local Hero (Jul 8, 2010)

He's mocking his competitors who dropped out, a couple of babies!


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## Rashadabd (Sep 17, 2011)

He was ready for a blanky and a nice nap…. Seriously, I heard the dedication to his baby thing too, but a lot of world soccer stars pull the same move after scoring a goal. It might have some other meaning.


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## bradkay (Nov 5, 2013)

Perhaps it is a way of saying "Put this competition to bed!" ??


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## natedg200202 (Sep 2, 2008)

I didn't think it could get worse than finger bang. . .


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## MMsRepBike (Apr 1, 2014)

55x11 said:


> he dedicated his victory to his baby.


Correct. His little girl.


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## OldZaskar (Jul 1, 2009)

natedg200202 said:


> I didn't think it could get worse than finger bang. . .


Are you referring to the pistol gesture? Because... that's very different than "finger bang".


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## jlandry (Jan 12, 2007)

"And then, she let me Pistol Gesture her", doesn't sound so impressive to your buddies.


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## 9W9W (Apr 5, 2012)

that's not even thumb sucking, that something along the lines of half arsed fellatio. doing a proper thumb suck would require personality/expression, something this guy is devoid of. So, instead he just stuck his thumb into a half opened mouth and everyone is like why is this man sticking his thumb into a half open mouth?
what does it all mean?


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## Special Eyes (Feb 2, 2011)

Seriously? If you climbed that hill, you would be breathing hard through your mouth as well, or simply die of a heart attack.


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## 32and3cross (Feb 28, 2005)

9W9W said:


> that's not even thumb sucking, that something along the lines of half arsed fellatio. doing a proper thumb suck would require personality/expression, something this guy is devoid of. So, instead he just stuck his thumb into a half opened mouth and everyone is like why is this man sticking his thumb into a half open mouth?
> what does it all mean?


No the rest of us got it pretty easily.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

There is an Italian gesture (one of so many) in which the tip of the thumb is placed behind the upper teeth and flicked outward in the direction of the one at whom it is directed. It's pretty much the equivalent of flipping the bird. I don't know if that's what he was doing (maybe in sort of a disguised way) or for whom it might have been intended, if so. But it's what I first thought of.


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## bradkay (Nov 5, 2013)

JCavilia said:


> There is an Italian gesture (one of so many) in which the tip of the thumb is placed behind the upper teeth and flicked outward in the direction of the one at whom it is directed. It's pretty much the equivalent of flipping the bird. I don't know if that's what he was doing (maybe in sort of a disguised way) or for whom it might have been intended, if so. But it's what I first thought of.


Originally a different pic was posted there that didn't even have his hand anywhere near his mouth. I agree with you that this looks like that gesture.


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## fazel (Mar 4, 2012)

JCavilia said:


> There is an Italian gesture (one of so many) in which the tip of the thumb is placed behind the upper teeth and flicked outward in the direction of the one at whom it is directed. It's pretty much the equivalent of flipping the bird. I don't know if that's what he was doing (maybe in sort of a disguised way) or for whom it might have been intended, if so. But it's what I first thought of.


Just asked my brother-in-law (Italian) what it means when an Italian does this. His response? "E+1, T+1".


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## Winn (Feb 15, 2013)

fazel said:


> "E+1, T+1".


Ok forgive my ignorance but that really isn't helping.


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## fazel (Mar 4, 2012)

winn said:


> ok forgive my ignorance but that really isn't helping.


e+1 = f
t+1 = u

fu


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## OldZaskar (Jul 1, 2009)

jlandry said:


> "And then, she let me Pistol Gesture her", doesn't sound so impressive to your buddies.


But it does sound better than "He then finger banged all of the spectators".


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## kps88 (Dec 3, 2013)

It wasn't FU...and I'm Italian. That is a different gesture and any real Italian knows that...sorry. He didn't flick his thump towards anyone. The guy was doing it for his daughter, it was a gesture for her.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

kps88 said:


> It wasn't FU...and I'm Italian. That is a different gesture and any real Italian knows that...sorry. He didn't flick his thump towards anyone. The guy was doing it for his daughter, it was a gesture for her.


cool . . .


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## thalo (Jul 17, 2011)

he had a little gel stuck on the thumb he was saving for later and he wanted to finish it off before getting off the bike.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

kps88 said:


> It wasn't FU...and I'm Italian. That is a different gesture and any real Italian knows that...sorry. He didn't flick his thump towards anyone. The guy was doing it for his daughter, it was a gesture for her.


I'm only a 50% Italian-American, so my sign language isn't extremely fluent. Appreciate the lesson ;-)


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## mpre53 (Oct 25, 2011)

JCavilia said:


> I'm only a 50% Italian-American, so my sign language isn't extremely fluent. Appreciate the lesson ;-)


Yeah, the thumb flick ending is the important part of that particular, uh, "salute". :wink:


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## kps88 (Dec 3, 2013)

JCavilia said:


> I'm only a 50% Italian-American, so my sign language isn't extremely fluent. Appreciate the lesson ;-)


My mother was great at it...;-)


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## Peter Aretin (10 mo ago)

You may recall in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, that biting the thumb is a grievous insult.


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## 202cycle (Sep 13, 2011)

Peter Aretin said:


> You may recall in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, that biting the thumb is a grievous insult.


You may recall that 8 years ago this thread was really dumb.


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