Shrug
The shrug of the shoulders ( shrug ) is a gesture in which both shoulders are raised and then lowered again after varying degrees of delay. Sometimes the person in question repeats this gesture several times at short intervals in order to increase its effect. The shrug is considered an expression of perplexity, indifference or both and is usually accompanied by appropriate facial expressions .
origin
It is believed that the shrug originated in an instinctive assessment of the difference in weight between two objects. By means of weighing movements with both hands and arms (which also causes the shoulders to rise and fall), the person concerned tries to estimate the weight and thus the suitability of the two objects for a specific purpose. The person in question thus implicitly illustrates his or her uncertainty on this issue.
Another attempt at explanation understands the shrug as a symbolic shaking off a burden.
Idioms
The term is also used in idioms , e.g. B. " He could only answer that with a shrug " (= he had no idea) or " She shrugged off it " (= she didn't care).
