Learn English – What’s this gesture called

expressionsgestures

It's used to be pretty frequent in movies where I think the person after accomplishing a big task would want to convey to the viewers that "I am awesome and a hot-shot". It starts with bringing your fingers (curled towards the palm) close to your mouth and blowing air on the nails and then wiping something off the left side of chest with your fingers(or nails?). Does there exist a concise phrase I could write instead of describing the whole act? If this on topic, what was the origin of this gesture?

Best Answer

The gesture is polishing one's fingernails. You mimic blowing some moisture from your breath onto your polished fingernails and using that to restore the shine by rubbing them on your jacket or shirt front. It means, "That impressive thing I just did? I'm so good that it caused me no more trouble than dulling my manicure a bit."

Is this still a thing?

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