Cheek screw
An index finger pressed into the cheek and twisted. In Italy it means something is good, beautiful or delicious; in southern Spain the same gesture is an insult that calls a man effeminate.
How to read it
Rick Steves describes a fist with the index finger out, screwed into the cheek, and says it is used widely and almost exclusively in Italy to mean good, lovely, beautiful or delicious, and by many Italians to mean clever. AFAR gives the same Italian meaning, good, clever or beautiful, and both note that in southern Spain the gesture is an insult that questions a man’s masculinity.
Also searched as: buono gesture, cheek twist gesture, finger in cheek gesture, Italian delicious gesture.
A gesture’s meaning changes from place to place and over time. These pages give the meanings recorded by the researchers, reporters and guides they cite, as of October 2026, and are reviewed yearly.
Look-alikes
Spain has its own cheek gesture: AFAR describes patting the cheek as saying someone is shameless or cheeky, literally “hard-faced”. Italy’s other gesture of praise for food is the fingertips kiss, described on the Pinched fingers 🤌 page.
Read next
- Next in Hand gesturesOK hand sign 👌The thumb and index finger joined in a ring, the other fingers raised. In the United States and among scuba divers it means “OK”; in Japan it can mean money, in France “zero” or worthless, and in Brazil and Turkey it is a vulgar insult.
- The same shape in Blueprint symbolsNorth arrowShows which way north is on the drawing.
More hand gestures
The same shape elsewhere
Browse symbols drawn with arrows or circles.
Sources
- Understanding European Gestures, Rick Steves, read October 2026, Rick Steves’ Europe, Cheek Screw
- 10 Essential European Hand Gestures to Know, Chris Ciolli, read October 2026, AFAR, Face touching
Researched, edited and approved by Rory Hansen before publishing. Last reviewed October 9, 2026. How we research
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