Received gestures in UK pubs: pint versus half-pint
People who do not speak English well, or even people who do not want to speak a lot, will often resort to received gestures to indicate what they are after. Some of these are almost universally understood everywhere...
As an example, many people would know that the received gesture for "May I have the bill please" is to hold an imaginary pencil in the air and make a scribble.
Received gestures are also useful where the ambience is not conducive to speaking, like loud pubs and where there's a distance between the customer and the server. Some of these can be quite arcane and restricted to local knowledge. To order a 'London Pride' in a noisy pub for example, one can use their right hand to make a patting gesture over their heart. Another gesture that is received in the UK is to pretend one is pulling on a barrel tap; this seems to indicate that the customer wants an ale.
Question: what, if any, are the received gestures to differentiate between a pint and a half pint in the UK? Or if UK is too broad, then more specifically the region inside the London Orbital?
Note: 'received': adjective: conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers ("Received standard English is sometimes called the King's English (British") from OneLook
Best Answer
As per request of @Gayot Fow, I'll elaborate a bit on the hand signals/gestures I'm accustomed to in Belgium.
EDIT: I found a site that explained the gestures I explained + some more, so I'll copy these over to this answer. The original article can be found here.
Regular/General beer
This gesture (balded hand, pointing pinkie) means you want to order a beer.
The type of beer you'll get depends on the 'normal' beer they serve at that bar, most commonly either Jupiler, Maes or Stella.
Duvel
This sign, most commonly known amongst those who listen to metal music, is used to order a Duvel (~~> Devil). Some people tend to hold their hand before their head, as if their fingers were the devil's horns.
One meter of beer
In many bars, you can order a so called 'meter of beer'. You have to imagine this as putting glasses of beer next to each other, so that the combined with of the glasses measures 1 meter. Most bars have some sort of wooden holder with pre-drilled holes to carry the glasses. Depending on how far apart they drilled the holes, 1 meter of beer contains around 10-15 glasses of beer.
Palm
This one is quite obvious. You point to the palm of your hand to order a Palm.
De Koninck
I didn't know about this one. But apparently in Antwerp, 'De Koninck' is called a 'Bolleke Keuning', referencing to the ball/spherical shape of the glass.
Champagne
You basically pop your thumb from your fist as if you were popping the cork of a champagne bottle.
Others
There's a whole list of gestures, but I can't seem to find the list back again.
Most of these other gestures aren't very well known.
Apparently, touching your thumb with your index finger and then holding your middle finger in front of it, means you want to order a Kriek (~~> Cherry). It sort of looks like symbolizing a cherry with your fingers.
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Asking for a lighter
In the Flemmish region of Belgium, more in the west, there's also a signal you could use to ask for a lighter.
You show 4 fingers, as if you would count to 4 using your fingers (index, middle, ring, pinkie).
In Dutch, the number four is "vier". This sounds the same as word for fire "vuur" in the (West-)Flemmish dialect.
If I ever see the full list of hand signals again, I'll try to remind myself to add it to this post.
Pictures about "Received gestures in UK pubs: pint versus half-pint"
Is half a pint half the price?
Ordering a half pint of beer in the pub can mean you end up paying far more than just half the price, according to a new report. Drinkers in some pubs are being charged \xa32 for half of a \xa33-a-pint beer, the latest research shows.Can you order a half pint of Guinness?
If you're a lightweight and worried you might not make it through a whole Guinness, ask for a half-pint. It's ladylike and a bit old school. If Guinness (large or small) isn't your thing, try ordering Bulmer's, a sparkly sweet cider drink that's popular among locals as well.Why do Brits love pubs?
Today what attracts people to head into the pubs not only the alcohol and the food but also the incomparably talkative and relaxing atmosphere. For some pub enthusiasts , the regular moment in the pub makes them refreshed and relieved.What are British pubs like?
While no two pubs are ever the same, they share many quintessential characteristics: low ceilings, wooden beams, log fireplaces and a regular called Steve. Even many pub names are traditional, and often have imaginative and magical names based on old slogans such as \u201cThe Goat and Compasses\u201d and \u201cThe Pig and Whistle\u201d.How to Order in a Pub - Learn About Phrases, Slang, Idioms and Ordering
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Engin Akyurt, cottonbro, ELEVATE, ELEVATE