high sign
3
7.8
- noun
:
señal discreta
- And Jada," he added, "if anyone starts bidding for your basket—anyone who does not please you just give me a high sign."
- gave the high sign
Examples
-
Frank gives Marcus the high sign.
Fiction book (1999) -
Well, he will if I give him the high sign.
-
Get to the window and give me the high sign.
-
"Ross waited for the staff to file out when his mother gave him the high sign that she wanted to speak with him."
Fiction book (1994) -
She gave him the high sign in return, telling him she was already on it.
Fiction book (2000) -
Don't you see he's giving you the high sign?
-
Clara gave the high sign for them to adjourn to the hall.
Fiction book (1996) -
Lawrence, dressed in a tux, gives Lexi a high sign.
Fiction book (1999) -
After the sermon, after the monsignor's regular coloring came back into his face, when it came time for Grandma and Grandpa to go up to the altar, Monsignor Canby gave my father the high sign.
Fiction book (1991) -
Clara gave the high sign for them to adjourn to the hall.
How Obvious
- US
3
7.8
Surface Forms
Morphology
Although both constituents 'high' and 'sign' are semantically clear individually, the combined meaning 'a silent or discreet signal' is not directly inferable—learners would more likely interpret 'high sign' as a raised or prominent gesture. The idiomatic/dated sense and mismatch between 'high' and 'discreet' makes the expression unpredictable from its parts for a B1 learner.
Etymology
High sign may come from the simple act of holding a sign up high, for example lifting a hand or nod so a partner can see it without words. So, the phrase came to mean 'a silent or discreet signal'.