History Main / StrangeSalute

* Using the ''actual'' British military salute in an American drama, or vice-versa, can essentially function as an example of this trope in terms of exotic-ness. While both salutes are identical in function, the palm is turned outward in a British salute, whereas in an American salute the palm is turned downward and slightly towards the body.

* Creator/DrSeuss
** ''Literature/TheBirthdayBook'' has a special birthday salute that involves standing on one foot. This being Dr. Seuss, it also has a fun name.
** TheFilmOfTheBook for ''Literature/HortonHearsAWho'' also has the Whos salute by pressing their foreheads with their thumbs and holding their hands sideways.

* Parodied in ''WebVideo/BenMcYellow'', the villains' salute is literally just the Nazi salute (right arm extended, hand straight) but with the fingers in the [[Franchise/StarTrek Vulcan "live long and prosper" position]].

* There's the infamous "crossed arms" from ''Film/Plan9FromOuterSpace''. [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/PlanNine_03.jpg Screenshot.]]

* There's the infamous "crossed arms" from ''Film/Plan9FromOuterSpace''. [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/PlanNine_03.jpg Screenshot]])

* Sometimes, Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse comic books have some variant of American or British salutes. Sometimes they don't. There are a couple of cases where Imperials used something like the Roman salute, which the Nazi one is based on. And in one comic where Luke greets a superior his palm is turned outwards in what really looks like some kind of salute - since it's one panel and we see it from the superior's POV, it's hard to tell.

* There's the infamous "crossed arms" from ''Film/Plan9FromOuterSpace'' ([[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:PlanNine_03.jpg screenshot]]).

* In ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'', the X-Nauts salute by crossing their arms in an x over their chests.

** Which ''may'' be yet another of numerous shout outs to earlier Franchise/{{Gundam}} and Gundam-related HumongousMecha series, in this case, to ''Anime/SpaceRunawayIdeon'', whose Buff Clan military personnel salutes each other exactly the same way.

* The Tribe in the ''Literature/WarriorCats'' series has a greeting gesture which the Clan cats find strange: extending a paw while bowing the head. (Of course, they find most things about the Tribe to be strange, from their table manners to their naming conventions.)

* The Tribe in the ''Literature/WarriorCats'' series has a greeting gesture, which the Clan cats find strange: extending a paw while bowing the head. (Of course, they find most things about the Tribe to be strange.)

* The Tribe in the ''Literature/WarriorCats'' series has a greeting gesture, which the Clan cats find strange: extending a paw while bowing the head.

* In the German movie ''Film/DieWelle'' (remake of ''Film/TheWave1981'') the salute of the titular student organisation was a sea-wave hand motion.

* In the German movie ''Film/DieWelle'' (remake of ''Film/TheWave'') the salute of the titular student organisation was a sea-wave hand motion.

** Further explored in the books, where the "Full Rimmer" is joined by the "Double Rimmer" (done with both hand simultaneously) and the "Half Rimmer," three rotations of the wrist before a salute "for emergencies." That's the ''simplified'' one.

[[quoteright:350:[[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/spock_performing_vulcan_salute.png]] ]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"Live long and prosper."]]

* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2'', the Youth League members salute with their arm horizontal across their chest, and their open palm facing down.




* ''VideoGame/MetroidOtherM'' has soldiers giving a thumbs up after a briefing. It's not clear whether this is a universal salute or just used to indicate understanding. Samus herself gives a thumbs down.
* ''VideoGame/ViewtifulJoe'' has 'The Airplanes'. Bend your ring and index fingers, and stick your little finger and thumb out to the sides. Turn your palm towards yourself if you're the one being awesome, otherwise point your middle finger at the recipient. [[http://www.nineinchsandwich.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Viewtiful-Joe.jpg This is what it should look like.]]
* [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Turian]] soldiers in ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' salute by holding their weapons upright, parallel to the body. When unarmed, they repeat the gesture sans gun instead.
* In ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'', Republic soldiers use a more-or-less standard American salute, but Imperial soldiers don't actually have one -- instead, drawing oneself to attention and then relaxing serves the same purpose.
* In ''VideoGame/NierAutomata'', the [=YoRHa=] androids salute by placing their left hand up to their left pectoral, palm in.

* The Windurstian salute in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXI'' is pretty bizarre - you hold your arms before you diagonally, with your fingertips nearly meeting up top. The San d'Orian and Bastokan salutes are more normal - stand at attention and pound your forearm and fist to your chest, and step forward with your left foot while holding your right arm (with balled fist) out before you horizontally as though to guard, respectively. There are also cutscene-only Jeunoan and Aht Urghanian salutes; Aht Urghan's is also pretty weird - with a flattened hand, start at the top of your head and trace a three-quarter circle to your side.
** Obviously, the last Star Sybil was [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Gendo Ikari.]]
** Then there's the salute from the followers of the church of Altana. Raise both hands, open and palms up, while bowing your head.
* Two of the Grand Companies in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' have a unique salute: members of the Immortal Flames put their left fist over their heart, while members of the Order of the Twin Adder put one arm over the other in front of them and bow their head. The Maelstrom averts this trope in favor of a traditional MilitarySalute. [[TheEmpire The Garlean Empire]] have their own "hand over heart" salute (Similar to the ''Franchise/AttackOnTitan'' example above), and the new Crystal Braves have their own unique salute, with your right arm bent 90 degrees pointing upward.
* The 12 playable races in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' each have their own unique salute.
* In the ''VideoGAme/QuestForGlory'' series, the Thieves' Sign (a type of salute for thieves to covertly make themselves known to other thieves) changed slightly throughout the games, but involved something similar to crossing your eyes while wiggling the fingers on one hand and rubbing your belly with the other. It had a few practical uses for progressing in the game, but mostly it just made people think you were a little loopy.
* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'': Show Me Your Moves! is Captain Falcon's taunt phrase accompanied by the salute.
* In ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'', the X-Nauts salute by crossing their arms in an x over their chests.
* Cloud in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', asked by some soldiers to come up with a "special move" with which to salute Rufus, teaches them a very strange one: a straight adaptation of his VictoryPose.
* The [=SeeD=] salute in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' consists of raising the right hand, palm turned inward, to partially cover the face. This becomes a minor plot point later in the game, when Selphie uses the wrong salute when disguised as a Galbadian soldier. Another point has Rinoa pretending to be a [=SeeD=], and is shown mimicking it with a slight delay, as she was never taught it. [[spoiler:The salute was later revealed to be the result of a StableTimeLoop where one of the founders of the Balamb Garden saw one of the main character doing it.]]
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'': The prayer of the Yevon religion is, to Tidus' surprise, the same as the mundane blitzball victory gesture he always used in Zanarkand: hold hands before torso as if holding a blitzball, then bow. [[spoiler:The blitzball victory sign became the real Zanarkand's act of defiance against Bevelle in the war 1000 years ago, and when Yu Yevon subdued them, he had Bevelle adopt the victory sign as their prayer to show their obedience to him.]]
** There's also a Crusader salute, which consists of a clenched left fist held directly in front of your heart.
* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX2'', the Youth League members salute with their arm horizontal across their chest, and their open palm facing down.
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIII'': The Sanctum military salute involves holding the right arm straight outward with the palm down Caesar-style, then turning the arm horizontally across the chest in a Zogist salute. This looks very much like a Nazi salute with the steps executed in reverse order, making it [[ValuesDissonance extremely disconcerting]] when Lightning does it.
* In ''VideoGame/SpaceRangers'', the Maloqs are a ProudWarriorRaceGuy, whose salute is punching the one being saluted in the shoulder. If you wish to show great respect for the saluted, you punch them in the jaw. Because Maloqs are physically very strong, diplomacy with other races can be bit iffy; in one quest, a Maloq purposefully holds himself back in order to not kill you with his punch.
* ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer'': The Brotherhood of Nod's salute is downright tame compared to some other video game examples: just thrust your fist to your heart, and there you go. Bowing your head or reciting Nod's mantras is optional, but fully welcomed.

** The old, pro-Unity salute was a single clenched fist to the chest. Creator/DanAbnett has a very old Space Marine use it instead of the aquila in ''Horus Rising''. That's actually the standard Space Marine salute by the 41st millennium.

* ''Webcomic/{{Unsounded}}'': In the nation of Alderode, the standard salute is to touch the first two fingers to the forehead, palm towards the face. The most formal version, [[http://www.casualvillain.com/Unsounded/comic/ch14/ch14_18.html used]] as DueToTheDead or as a gesture of sincere humility and deference, is to cover the face with the whole hand and bow deeply.

** Partially subverted with the Daleks themselves, whose simplistic arm assemblies (a front-facing, telescoping rod with only a single ball-and-socket joint at the shoulder) leave the possibilities for salutes somewhat limited. In their earliest appearances, they raised and extended their arms in an [[ThoseWackyNazis ominously familiar way]], though this salute was abandoned almost immediately after ''[[Recap/DoctorWhoS2E2TheDalekInvasionOfEarth The Dalek Invasion of Earth]]''. Whether this decision was made because the network thought it was TooSoon or just because it was slathering on the [[ScaryDogmaticAliens Space]] [[ANaziByAnyOtherName Nazi]] subtext a little too thick is anyone's guess. Played straight in later appearances, where the Daleks salute by raising and/or "nodding" their eyetstalks.

* In Franquin's ''ComicBook/SpirouAndFantasio'' series, the dictator Zantafio of Palumbia invents a salute where people have to move their hand, thumb upside down, over their head. At one point a character tries saluting while holding a hammer and ends up hitting himself on the head. Throughout the whole story, Fantasio (who has become a Colonel in Zantafio's army) gives a different gesture in response to the salutes he gets, including thumbing his nose.

[[folder:Film]]

* In ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheFirstAvenger'', the members of Red Skull's Hydra organisation give a fist-clenched double Nazi salute (identical to the one from the comics). This gives an effect not dissimilar to pantomime hang-gliding.

* In ''Film/{{Black Panther|2018}}'', Wakandans salute by crossing their arms over their chest to form a W.

** ''TheBirthdayBook'' has a special birthday salute that involves standing on one foot. This being Dr. Seuss, it also has a fun name.

** When Detritus the troll first joins the Night Watch in ''Discworld/MenAtArms'', he can't get the hang of saluting, and tends to knock himself out.
** Apprentice Postman Stanley Howler of the Ankh-Morpork Post Office in ''Discworld/GoingPostal'' is introduced while standing to attention with "one side significantly more at attention than the other." According to Junior Postman Groat, Stanley was raised by peas and tends to turn towards the sun.
** In ''Discworld/{{Pyramids}}'', the official salute of the Assassins' Guild is to raise the right hand, place the first two fingers against the thumb, and rub them together. The defining quality of the Guild isn't that they kill people, it's the anticipation of payment.

* In Literature/TheHungerGames, District 12 has a salute - touching the middle three fingers of the left hand to their lips and holding it out - that means thanks, adoration, and goodbye to someone you love.

** This is similar to the American Girl Scout salute, where you hold up three fingers. While it can be perfomed with either hand, it is usually displayed on the left for both practical and symbolic reasons. As Panem is supposed to be a future America, this makes some sense.
* The Tribe in the Literature/WarriorCats series has a greeting gesture, which the Clan cats find strange: extending a paw while bowing the head.

[[folder:Tabletop RPG]]
* In the [[TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} Imperium of Man]], a common way to salute is to form the "aquila" symbol, by crossing your hands over your chest, fingers outstretched, so that your hands form the symbolic wings and the thumbs intertwined to form the double head of the eagle.
** It's also an expression of piety roughly equivalent to crossing yourself.

** The old, pro-Unity salute was a single clenched fist to the chest. Creator/DanAbnett has a very old Space Marine use it instead of the aquila in ''Horus Rising''.
*** That's actually the standard Space Marine salute by the 41st millennium.
** There's also a single handed variant mentioned in the Literature/CiaphasCain series, known as "thumbing the palm": fingers slightly splayed, with the tip of the thumb resting just between the start of the index and middle fingers. used as a crossing-fingers gesture.

[[folder:Web Original]]

* The minions of [[WebVideo/DiamandaHagan Diamanda Hagan]] hold their left hand up, extend the thumb, touch it with their other thumb and point their right hand down. [[DontExplainTheJoke It's a bit like an H, you see]].

* The DOOP in ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' have their own salute. The story behind this one is apparently that one of the writers asked his son "How do they salute in the future?".

* The 'Devil horns' heavy metal salute. Extend index and pinky fingers, fold thumb over middle and ring fingers. Can be displayed in either direction. There is also a variation that combines this with the crossed arms across the chest. It has another form where one extends only the pinkies on both hands and places both fists together.

** Similarly used as the symbol of the winter god Ulric in TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}.
** Also seen as the "Hook 'Em Horns" of the University Of Texas (Pres. George W. Bush flashed them at a game, causing some people who didn't recognise the salute to think he was flashing Satan/gang signs).
** According to the satirical movie that accompanies a segment in the Music/{{Blue Man Group}}'s concert, it's a tribute to Floppy The Banjo Playing Clown, whose history and influence on rock and roll they go into. The two fingers represent his hairdo.

--> '''Announcer:''' Field Commander [name], is your band ready? *salute* [Name of band], you may take the field in competition.

** Wolf Cubs (the forerunners of today's Cub Scouts) had a salute that resembled a V-for-Victory sign held to the temple. There was even an occasional two-handed version. It was supposed to represent a wolf's ears.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

** The best known is probably the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulcan_salute Vulcan salute]] - pictured above - which is also based on a Jewish blessing gesture.
** Then there's the Romulan salute, based on the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_salute Roman salute]], [[LouisCypher as you may have guessed from the name]].

* A couple of these appear in ''Mnaga/OnePiece.'' The White Berets of Skypeia make an odd hand gesture on their foreheads. The Marines have their own unique salute. It resembles a standard military salute, except instead of the palm slightly facing downwards, it is instead facing against the saluter's forehead, with the back of the hand facing forward. Though, according to Oda, the latter is an actual sailor salute used to avoid showing tar-stained hands to your superiors.
* In ''Star Blazers'' (''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato''), the regular military has the typical American salute, but the Star Force salute is fist over heart, palm down.

* ''Series/TheArmyGame'': When Dooley joins Hut 29, Flogger attempts to convince him that he is a special rank of 'Corporal-Captain', and that Dooley needs to give him a special salute that includes patting his head and waving his hand in front of his face. Dooley adopts the new salute, but is actually playing along for a joke of his own.