Drawing in the cheeks and holding the arms rigidly by the side of the body means 'thin' in Amharic. Diet-conscious US Americans and British people feel complimented if they are told that they are slim and so may naturally assume that to tell an Ethiopian friend this is also complimentary. Yet in Ethiopia and a number of other countries, this is taken pejoratively, as it is thought better to be heavy-set, indicating health and status and enough wealth to ensure the two.