1. ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
Presented by
Paulette Sottak
An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011

2. 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.
An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011

3. ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
MOST COMMONLY USED SIGNS
… that you may have already learned from your current or previous ASL classes …
KISS-FIST
O-I-C
FINISH
WHAT’S-UP?
An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011

4. ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
ANNOYING; PET-PEEVE
(SICK sign; twisting on forehead)
“It’s annoying.”
“Cutting in line is my pet peeve!”
An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011

5. ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
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!”
An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011

6. ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
TAKE-RISK/CHANCE
[HS: 11 off from ears (palms inward), then fingers
extended]
- “No guts, no glory!”
An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011

7. ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
LONG-TIME
(HS: Y; thumb on forehead, move straight forward) – usually associated with negativity
- “What takes you so long?”
- “That’s too long.”
An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011

8. ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
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.
An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011

9. ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
GOOD-RIDDANCE
(HS: 55; middle fingers sticking out; moving forward)
- “Finally I got through with it!”
- “Bob has finally moved out. Good riddance!”
An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011

10. ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
STARTLED
(“Light-on-then-off” sign on chest)
“You scared the heck out of me!”
An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011

11. ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
STAY-HOME
(BASEMENT sign)
- “Howard Hughes was a hermit.”
- “We’ve been snowed in for a week, and everyone
has cabin fever.”
An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011

12. ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
SECOND-A-MOTION
(HS: L; moving like shooting)
- “I second the motion (in a parliamentary meeting).”
- “Yes, I totally agree with you!”
An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011

13. ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
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!”
An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011

14. ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
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!”
An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011

15. ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
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.”
An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011

16. ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
HOLD-FOR-A-WHILE
(SUSPEND sign)
- “Going for her master’s is on hold while my sister is
raising her family.”
An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011

17. ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
TALKING-TO-YOURSELF
(HS: ii, each from the temple to middle, bouncing)
- “Lynn caught me talking to myself.”
An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011

18. ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
IT’S-UP-TO-YOU
(Compound signs = THINK+YOURSELF)
- “It’s your call whether or not you move back with
your parents.”
An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011

19. ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
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!”
An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011

20. ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
FUNNY-NONE
(Compound signs: FUNNY+ZERO)
- “That’s not funny.”
- “This is nothing to laugh about (serious).”
An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011

21. ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
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).”
An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011

22. ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
END-OF-DISCUSSION
(Compound Signs: DISCUSS+VERY-DRY)
- “End of discussion. Period!”
An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011

23. ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
OH-RIGHT
(HS:closed-5; shake vertically)
- “He told me a fabricated story that went in one
ear and out the other.”
An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011

24. ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
WITH-EVERYTHING-ON-IT
(INCLUDE sign)*
- “Jan wants a pizza with everything on it.”
*often confused with “INVOLVED”
An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011

25. ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
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!”
An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011

26. ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
IMAGINE
(IDEA Sign)
- “Babies are born with 350 pieces of bone. Can
you imagine that!”
An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011

27. ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
Tell me what you have learned so far.
An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011

28. ASL IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
T H A N K Y O U
for supporting the Palomar College
ASL/Interpreting Department’s ASL Lab!
An Evening of Sign - 04/08/2011