Food and Drink

Show Terms

PEPSI - this variant for the sign PEPSI has the same form as the sign for ITALY. Note that some websites suggest subtle differences between these two signs: http://www.angelfire.com/pa3/ecarpenter/foodVIII.htm
 
COKE - There have been various accounts of the etymology of this sign and for why this sign is the same as the sign for COCAINE. Until 1929, the formula for Coca-Cola called for an extract of the coca plant, the sameplant from which cocaine is derived. Coca-Cola was originally marketed as a tonic with medicinal effects. When the use of cocaine became controversial, the formula was modified until all traces of the drug were eventually removed. The Clerc Center at Gallaudet University published a different account of the etymology of the sign in 2001. This account suggests that, during World War II, individuals who donated blood would receive a Coke after donating. On this account, the sign for Coke is the same as the sign for a shot or injection. http://clerccenter.gallaudet.edu/WorldAroundYou/mar-apr2001/update.pdf
 
SUGAR - This is also the sign for the adjective CUTE. For some, it can also mean SWEET, although the more common form for "sweet" uses 4 fingers instead of two.
 
FRENCH FRIES - Here the initial F is signed twice, with an outward movement.