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American Sign Language: "cancel"


The sign for "cancel" has many meanings, including: "cancel," "correct," "grade," and "criticize."  It means "correct" as in to "Correct someone's paper by putting X's next to the wrong answers."  (It doesn't mean "correct" as in "right."  For "right" use the appropriate version of the sign "RIGHT."
See: RIGHT



To sign "cancel," use the tip of your index finger to draw an "X" on the palm of your non-dominant hand. I start at the top right of my palm and move toward the bottom left.  Then I "draw" a line from the top left of my palm toward the bottom right of the palm.

CANCEL / CORRECT-(grade_papers) / CRITICIZE:


Animation:  CANCEL




Notes:
If you modify the sign "cancel" by doing it with a "D"-hand (making contact to the palm with the tips of the thumb, middle, ring, and pinkie fingers of the "D"-hand) this sign can mean "discriminate."
See: https://youtu.be/aJK-1P-n8hg
 


PAY-OFF / paid off / to get out of debt
If you modify the dominant hand to use the middle finger (bent forward at the large knuckle) instead of the index finger this sign can be used to mean "paid off" or "pay off." The "paid off" sign tends to do the first movement with the middle finger and the second movement with a flat hand (sort of like combining the signs "cancel," "empty," and "clean").
See: https://youtu.be/WFXHlJ2wWy0  
 


The sign "CANCEL / criticize / to correct" can also be used in context to mean:
- indicate errors in, show mistakes in, point out faults in
- tell (someone) that they are mistaken

Depending on context and facial expressions the connotation (the affect or "feeling") of the sign "CANCEL / criticize / to correct" can range from "critical" to "emotionally neutral." (The sign "CANCEL / criticize / to correct" doesn't have to be negative.)

There are better signs (than "CANCEL / criticize / to correct" ) that can be used to mean:
"I corrected (fixed) my mistakes."

Some better choices or possibilities depending on the situation:
IMPROVE
incremental-IMPROVE
ADJUST ( https://youtu.be/57ngmG53xB4 )
FIX (to fix something I built or created)
SOLVE
BETTER NOW
STOP (as in stopped doing the "bad" thing)
 


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