ASL: Food Terms

Presenter: Mary McGovern Breakfast

A popular sign for "breakfast" is a combination of "EAT and MORNING." Use a squished "O" hand as if stuffing a piece of food into your mouth Morning uses a palm-up flat hand (or slightly bent hand) on the dominant hand to represent the sun rising up from beneath the horizon. The non-dominant arm plays the role of the horizon. The wrist of the dominant hand contacts the non-dominant hand's fingers. LUNCH

A compound version (EAT + NOON) Use a squished "O" hand as if stuffing a piece of food into your mouth

Noon is done with a flat hand pointing upward and resting on the back of the non- dominant hand. DINNER

[EAT+NIGHT] Use a squished "O" hand as if stuffing a piece of food into your mouth

The sign for "night" is made by holding your non-dominant arm horizontally, palm down, pointing to the side. (If you are right handed that means your left arm would be pointing toward the right.) Put your dominant hand's wrist on the back of your non-dominant hand, fingertips pointing down. WANT

Start with "5" hand shapes. Palms up. Flat. Bring the hands back toward you and change them into "claw" shapes. THIRSTY

To sign "thirsty" run the tip of your index finger down your throat. HUNGRY

The sign for "hungry" is made by forming your right hand into the letter "c." Move your hand down the middle of your chest. You don't actually have to touch your body but most people do -- especially if they want to emphasize how hungry they are with a stronger movement. LIKE

Start the sign a bit out from the chest with my middle finger and thumb pointing back toward my chest (but not touching either my chest or each other). Then move the hand forward while bringing the index and thumb together. MORE

The sign for "more" uses flattened "O" hands. Bring both "O" hands together. WATER MILK

The sign for "milk" is The sign for "water" is made by forming your right hand into made by forming a "C" the letter "W." Touch the index and closing it twice into finger to your mouth twice. an "S" hand. POP/ Soda

Form the left hand into an "O." Bend the middle finger of the right "spread" hand at the large knuckle and stick it (the middle finger) into the left "O." Then remove the finger and slap your right palm over the hole.

DRINK or JUICE COFFEE

You sign a "J" right in Think of the movement front of the mouth of an old coffee grinder. using a double The bottom hand stays movement still while the top hand turns the crank. TEA DRINK

To sign "tea," use an "F" hand The sign for "drink" is shape on your made by forming your dominant hand right hand into the and a "C" (or an letter "C." Move the "O") hand shape hand to your mouth in on your non- a short arc dominant hand APPLE AVOCADO

The sign for "apple" is You cup your left hand (if you made by closing your are right handed) as if holding hand and placing the an avocado) and then you form knuckle of your right your right hand into an "A" index finger against hand shape. Then you pretend your cheek. At the same your thumb (on the "A" hand) is time, pivot the hand a knife and you slice the "pit" back and forth. from the "avocado.“

BANANA BERRY

This sign is the general sign for Show the "strawberry." But it can be used peeling to mean "berries" in general. Generally, if it is done one the of a pinkie it means "cherries." banana BUTTER BREAD

Pretend your left hand Form and H. Pull the is a loaf of bread. Use fingertips of your the right hand index and middle fingertips to slice the fingers across the loaf a couple times. palm of your non- dominant hand. Use a double movement. CEREAL CANDY

The sign for "cereal" is made by placing your right index finger - palm down - at the right corner of your mouth. (If you are right To do the sign for handed). While moving your "candy" twist the hand to the left corner of your mouth, change the hand shape tip of your index into an "x." Alternate between finger on your the straight index finger and cheek the letter "x" a couple of times. Remember, the movement is from right to left

CHEESE CHOCOLATE

The left hand can be either in a The sign for "cheese" is "loose" hand shape or in a made by bringing both fist. Some people use a "flat" hands together. Rotate hand. The important point to your right hand (or your remember is that the left hand dominant hand) back and (non-dominant hand) is palm forth. The left hand down. The right hand thumb doesn't move. rests on the back of the left hand. The right hand makes two circles. Cookie Corn

The right (or dominant) A very common hand is in a loose "C" hand way to sign "corn" shape. You bring the right is to use your hand down onto the left index finger to hand, then you lift up the represent an "ear right hand rotate it and of corn." bring it down again on the Hold it near your left hand. Twist your right mouth and twist it hand as if cutting out forward twice. cookies from cookie dough. CUPCAKE DESSERT

The sign for DESSERT holds two "D" hands in front of you. The hands are horizontal, the index fingers pointing forward. Start with the hands Sign gets drops any about 3 inches apart. double movement Bring the "D's" of the individual together so and tap signs. the bellies of the D's twice.

DONUT EGG

Use a modified "C" hand The sign for "egg" is made by consisting of the index forming both hands into the letter finger and thumb as if "h." In one smooth movement, holding a donut. Bring it bring the middle finger side of back toward you and your dominant "h" hand down on touch your cheeks near top of the index finger side of your the corners of your non-dominant "h" hand. Move mouth, then repeat the both hands down and out as if movement. breaking apart an "egg." French Fries FRUIT

The movement is To sign "fruit" touch the tips of sort of like popping the index finger and thumb of two balloons with a an "F"-hand to your cheek. Twist the "F"-hand on your needle. cheek twice. Maintain contact for the whole sign. GARLIC GRAIN or PEAS

The sign "garlic" is done on the side of the nose. The sign for grain uses a "G" It is done as if signing hand shape on the dominant "bored" but use the hand to show small bits of grain knuckle of an "X" hand as if lined up on the index shape finger of the non-dominant hand. This also happens to be the sign for peas. GRAPES Gravy / Grease

The right hand The dominant hand makes contact, moves downward. The then lifts off and index and thumb come moves an inch or together. Repeat. The two then makes base hand stays put. contact again. HAMBURGER HOTDOG/Sausage/Bologna

The sign for The sign for "hotdog" is made by "hamburger" is made forming both hands into the by cupping your right letter "C." While moving your hands out to the side, change hand on top of your left the hand shapes to the letter "S" hand. Now reverse the back to a "C" and to an "S" position of both again. hands. ICE-CREAM LEMON

To sign "ice-cream" The movement is in the hold an "S" hand in WRIST not in the knuckle. front of your mouth If you do the movement in and move it the knuckle it tends to look like a version of the sign for downward twice as WHO. if you were licking Also It helps if you pucker an ice-cream cone. up a bit while signing this MARSHMALLOW MEAT

Squeeze a Grab the fleshy part of your left hand with the index finger and marshmallow. thumb of your right hand. The left hand doesn't move. The right hand wiggles a bit as if getting a good grip on the meat. This sign means "meat" in general, but in context it can be used for "steak" or "flesh." PANCAKE PEACH

This sign is looks Start with the fingers spread a like you are bit. Touch the tips of the fingers flipping a to your cheek and then draw the tips of the fingers together pancake. on the cheek and move the hand and fingertips a very small bit away from the cheek, and then repeat the movement. The movement is all very light and quick. PEAR PEAS

For the sign "pear," you hold the The sign for "peas" non-dominant hand in a uses a "G" hand shape flattened "O"-hand shape. on the dominant You place the fingers and hand. Touch the side thumb of the dominant hand of the index finger on around the non-dominant the non-dominant hand and then slide the hand twice. Move it a dominant hand off to the side. little bit forward the (The non-dominant hand second time doesn't move.) Repeat. Pepperoni PIE

Use "F" hands to show the To sign "pie" show the pepperoni while holding slicing of a pie. Make two up the base hand to slices in an imaginary pie represent the pizza crust - on the palm of your non- - as if showing where the dominant hand. The cuts pieces of pepperoni would should form a wedge of be on a pizza. pie.

PINEAPPLE Pizza

You use a "P" hand Use the "F" hand shape to draw a "Z" in near the "eye" the air. The tip of the version. index finger is Use a double pointing toward the movement person to whom you are signing. POPCORN Pretzel

The sign for "popcorn" uses modified "X" hands. You put The sign for the thumbnail of the index "pretzel" uses "R" finger on the pad of the thumb hand shapes to and then you move your hand draw the shape upward and flick the index finger as if it were a kernel of of a pretzel in corn "popping." First one hand the air. and then the next. SANDWICH

SALAD

Your dominant hand is flat and represents some kind of meat or "sandwich filling." Your non- dominant hand is bent at the large knuckles and the thumb is Picture yourself extended forward The non- tossing a salad. dominant hand represents a couple of slices of bread and looks as if it is holding a sandwich. Place the meat between the two slices of bread (put your dominant hand between the thumb and fingers of your non-dominant hand) and bring the "sandwich" up to your mouth. SPAGHETTI SOUP

Use a double motion and hold your hands up near your mouth. The dominant hand represents a spoon. The non-dominant represents a bowl. Toast VEGETABLES

Pretend you are cooking toast over a fire by sticking a fork into I just stick the tip of a piece of bread to hold it up to the index finger of a the fire then when that side is "V" hand shape on my done, you stick the fork into the cheek and twist my other side. hand twice. The "V" Your right hand is a "V" hand pivots on the tip of the shape throughout this whole index finger. The sign. The left hand is a "flat- middle finger isn't hand." touching the face.