View sign 'cannot'

cannot

Image

Description

(meaning: cannot go through, or bounces back)

Hold the left hand, back to left, fingers extended, touching, and pointing to front, well out in front of left breast, left forearm about horizontal; ring tip of extended index finger of right hand, back up, against center of left palm, this finger perpendicular to its surface, other fingers and thumb closed; then move right hand to right some inches, as though rebounding after tip strikes left palm, keeping index finger about horizontal and in line of its prolongation from first position.


References: age, behind (in time), no, tired, work
Synonyms: beyond power, can not, can't, cant, impossible, will not do

Notes

Tomkins says to rebound the right index finger downwards and to the right.

Clark notes to make the signs for WORK and NO and that this description is a better sign used, not generally, perhaps, but by those who are thoroughly conversant with gesture speech.
This sign is used in the sense of impossible, and its conception seems to be, will not go through. Some Indians make sign for BEHIND (sense of time), drawing hands well apart, and dropping them, as in TIRED or AGE.