The Awkward Turtle is a hand gesture with a fair amount of social
utility. It is used when someone has said something or done something
in a conversation that is inappropriate or gauche. This is followed
by an uncomfortable, awkward silence. In order to break said silence, a
person need only:
- Place one hand over the other.
- Make certain that all fingers are together and pointing away from the chest.
- Stick the thumbs of each hand out.
- Make a circle with each thumb at the same time, in the same direction.
- Optional: Say "Awkward tur-tle" in a high-pitched voice.
This pantomimes a sea turtle swimming through the
water, and will most likely cause everyone to laugh. The effects of this
are two-fold: the person who made the gaffe saves face and everyone
else is freed from the discomfort of an awkward silence.
"And then I realized the woman in the dream I was having sex with was my Aunt Gladys."
"....."
"Awkward Turtle!"
Related Gestures
TMI (for too much information) turkey is a gesture used when
someone has shared too much of their personal life or has told a
story that was more explicit that you would have liked. To make a TMI
turkey:
- Give a thumbs up with your right hand.
- Place the back of your right hand against the palm of your left hand, thumb pointing out.
- Slightly curl the fingers of your left hand.
- You now have a TMI turkey.
Melancholy Moose is a gesture that attempts to cheer up a sad friend. You:
- Tilt your head to the side.
- Fan out your fingers.
- Put the thumb of each hand to the corresponding temple.
- Close each hand.
- Optional: Say "Melancholy Moose" in a sad voice and pout.
For visual aides, youtube is lousy with people eager to tell you the "right" way to awkward turtle.