C
The ring - gesture can have further meaning. A Frenchman has the just read a BAA advertisement. Glancing around the restaurant in Terminal 4 , he remakes wonderingly to his wife, ‘ You know how much zis areoport cost the British taxpayer? Not a sou.’ And he make the finger and thumb ring which to him means ‘zero.’
Unfortunately, at the time he is glancing at a Colombian who is enjoying a fine Burgundy with his steak Bearnaise. The Colombian, enraged by the deadly obscenity which he assumes is direct at him, chokes on his wine and catches at his nose with finger and thumb.
The appalls a sitting opposite, who thinks the Colombian is telling him to ‘go to hell.’
The Syrian is restrained with difficulty by his Greek colleague from getting up and punching the Colombian on the nose. Meanwhile the maître d’ hurries over and attempts to calm the situation with two out- thrust palms. This of course is taken by the Greek to be a double -’moutza’ and in his rang he promptly skewers the unfortunate man with fish knife.
D
Something in your eye? Think before you touch the lower lid. If a Saudi sees you, he’ll think you’re calling him stupid, but a South American senorita will think you’re making a pass at her.
There is no greater insult you can offer a Greek than to thrust your palms towards his face. This gesture, called the ‘moutza’, is descended from the old Byzantine custom of smearing filth from the gutter in the face of condemned criminals as they were led in chain through the city.
So vile is this insult that in Greece even the Churchillian Victory-V is taboo, as it looks like a half-’moutza.’
Thus the Cretan or Athenian traveller, ordering two teas in a Heathrow restaurant, will carefully reverse his palm and give the waiter two fingers.
With 22,600 order for cups of tea open to misinterpretation every day, the wonder is the place function at all.