Italian · Hand Gestures · hand gesture
Occhio!
Watch out / stay sharp / I'm onto you
1/5 Grandma-safe
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
The gesture
"Index finger pulls down the skin below one eye"
What your hand is actually doing.
How to use it
Tug the lower eyelid down and you're saying "occhio!" — keep your eyes open, be careful, or "I see what you're up to." Friendly warning between people who know each other, not an insult. Often said aloud with the word "occhio" (eye) at the same time. Handy on crowded streets: watch your bag.
Heard in the wild
Occhio al portafoglio in metro.
Keep an eye on your wallet on the metro.
Where it lands
Universal across Italy
Quick answers
- What does "Occhio!" mean?
- In Italian, "Occhio!" means "Watch out / stay sharp / I'm onto you". Literally it's "Index finger pulls down the skin below one eye". Tug the lower eyelid down and you're saying "occhio!" — keep your eyes open, be careful, or "I see what you're up to." Friendly warning between people who know each other, not an insult. Often said aloud with the word "occhio" (eye) at the same time. Handy on crowded streets: watch your bag.
- Is "Occhio!" offensive?
- It's on the mild end — 1/5 (Grandma-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. mild, playful; fine on daytime TV.
- How do you pronounce "Occhio!"?
- This one's a hand gesture — there's nothing to pronounce. Index finger pulls down the skin below one eye.
Related in Italian
Le corna gesture Your partner's cheating on you / cuckold (as an insult) L'ombrello gesture Up yours! / Vaffanculo, in gesture form Il dito medio gesture Fuck you / flip the bird Il gesto del mento gesture I couldn't care less / get lost / nothing Ma che vuoi? gesture What do you want?! / What are you saying?! / Come on! Fare le corna (scaramanzia) gesture Touch wood / knock on wood / ward off the evil eye
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