Fingers Crossed

That's an expression that needs to be explained to all students. Even a demonstration doesn't do the trick.

(They also cannot grasp the concept of Hangman. As simple as it sounds to us, try explaining it out loud. It gets so frustrating trying to get a group of adults to play a simple childrens' game. As much as you push them to guess letters, they aren't interested; instead, trying to guess the word with all the spaces blank.)

Many, symbols gestures and hand movements have completely different meanings or methods.

For example: the motion to shoo someone away, but bringing the hand backwards instead of forwards, means "come here". A tick means work is wrong, and a circle means it's correct. Counting 6,7,8,9 and 10 is done by placing the relevant amount of extra fingers (after 5) on an open palm. And holding your hands up in an 'X' suggests "no". Do we do the last one in England? I can't remember; seriously, it seems second nature to me now.

The other reason for this post was that for some strange and completely unsubstantiated reason I feel a big earthquake coming. I have no experience whatsoever with this type of thing, but it's niggling. Fingers crossed it won't come true.

Or should that be "knock on wood"? Whatever that means.