Word Confusion: Interpreting a Nod and a Shake

Posted August 17, 2018 by Kathy Davie in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

Revised as of
10 Dec 2022

Free Self-Editing Tip, #691
nod vs shake

Credit to: I Don’t Know No is courtesy of Saving Throw Show, via GIPHY.

A nod is as good as a wink, when you want to agree, but a shake is a regret of rejection in this Word Confusion.

I had intended “Interpreting a Nod and a Shake” to encompass only the gesture of moving one’s head up and down or from side to side, ~~but it evolved into encompassing all its meanings~~ until I ran across this Word Confusion “Shake versus Sheik“.

It’s scaring me how often I read of some character shaking their head yes or nodding their head no. I find myself re-reading and re-reading the previous paragraphs to figure out what the author really means.

That’s always a no-no for writers. You do not want to make your reader have to decipher your meaning(s). Yes, you want the reader to think, but about what you’re saying, not how you’re saying it.

A nod indicates yes while a shake indicates no. At least in most countries. There are a few countries which nod (with a single movement of the head up, not down) to say no and shake to mean yes. America is not one of them. Unless you’re setting your story in Albania, Bulgaria, Egypt, Greece, Iran, Lebanon, Sicily, Syria, or Turkey (with the usage restricted to native characters!!), use the proper gestures, please!

Word Confusions . . .

. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.

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Nod	Shake
Robert Redford: Yes by R/Reaction Gifs is via GIPHY.	Disappointed, No Way is courtesy of Fox Searchlight, via GIPHY. — Nope, naw, no, sirree. That’s a definite no.
Part of Grammar:
Noun ¹; Verb ², intransitive & transitive Plural for the noun: nods Gerund: nodding Third person present verb: nods Past tense or past participle: nodded Present participle: nodding	Noun ¹; Verb ², intransitive & transitive Plural for the noun: shakes Gerund: shaking Third person present verb: shakes Past tense: shook Past participle: shaken Present participle: shaking
As a gesture, nod means yes Noun: A short, quick downward bending forward of the head, as in assent, greeting, command, or because of drowsiness ¹ A gesture of acknowledgment or concession to A bending or swaying movement Verb, intransitive: To make a slight, quick downward bending forward of the head, as in assent, greeting, or command ² To let the head fall slightly forward with a sudden, involuntary movement when sleepy To doze, especially in a sitting position To become careless, inattentive, or listless Make an error or mistake through lack of attention [Of trees, flowers, plumes, etc.] To droop, bend, or incline with a swaying motion Verb, transitive: To bend (the head) in a short, quick downward movement, as of assent or greeting ² To express or signify by such a movement of the head To nod approval To nod agreement To summon, bring, or send by a nod of the head To cause something to lean or sway Incline	As a gesture, shake means no Noun: An act of rocking, swaying, etc. ¹ Something resulting from a sharp, jerky movement Verb, intransitive: Turn your head from side to side in order to say no or to show disbelief or sadness ² Move (an object) up and down or from side to side with rapid, forceful, jerky movements Remove (an object or substance) from something by movements of this kind Upset the composure of Shock or astonish Verb, transitive: Turn your head from side to side in order to say no or to show disbelief or sadness ² To agitate or disturb profoundly in feeling To cause to doubt or waver
Examples:
Noun: At a nod from his father, he left the room. It was a feel-good musical with a nod to pantomime. The board gave the nod to the proposal. She greeted him with a nod. Verb, intransitive: The speaker was so boring that half the audience was nodding. The old lady sat nodding by the fire. Sorry, I must have nodded off. Even Homer sometimes nods. I love to watch the daffodils nod in the breeze. Verb, transitive: She nodded approval. She nodded me towards the manager’s office. They haven’t even a nodding acquaintance with commas! Stifling another giggle, she only nods her agreement, unable to voice her assent. You’ll always find a chorus of people to nod agreement to your stupid charge. Cara nodded her understanding, her eyes still on the still body of Cedric.	Noun: With a shake of its magnificent antlers, the stag charged down the slope. It was that shake of the head that decided me. Verb, intransitive: His head shook no. I stood there, crying and shaking with fear. Verb, transitive: Nope, he’s shaking his head no. With that shake of her head, Kevin had to accept that she wouldn’t marry him. Chris could tell he had lost when there were more people shaking their heads than people nodding. Luke was shaking with rage. Her voice shook with passion. Shake a stick at him. He’ll back down. Men shook their fists and shouted. He was unable to shake off the memories of the trenches. Rumors of a further loss shook the market. The fall shook him up quite badly. It will shake the very foundations of society. The experience shook him badly. Such action shakes one’s self-esteem.
Derivatives:
Adjective: nodding Adverb: noddingly Noun: nodding Verb, transitive: noddle [archaic]	Adjective: shakable, shakeable, unshakable, unshakeable, unshaken, well-shaken Adverb: unshakablely, unshakeablely Noun: shake-up, shakedown, shakeout, shaker, Shaker, Shakerism, shakeup, shook Verb: reshake, reshook, reshaken, reshaking
Phrasal Verb
nod off nod out	shake down shake off shake on shake out shake someone down shake someone off shake someone up shake something down shake something off shake something out shake something up shake up
History of the Word:
Dates from the mid-16th century. 1350–1400, late Middle English nodde is perhaps of Low German origin. Compare with the Middle High German notten meaning move about, shake.	Late 14th century from the Middle English schaken to mean charge, onrush. In the 1560s, it came to mean a hard shock. In the 1580s, it included an act of shaking. In the 1620s, nervous agitation. In the 1660s, an irregular vibration. In 1712, it became a handshake. 1816 included both as a figure of instantaneous action and the dismissive phrase no great shakes. In 1830, a new England vulgarism arose meaning an honest deal, i.e., a fair shake. 1911 shortened up the milk shake. Before 900, Old English sc(e)acan and the Old Saxon skakan is from the Old High German untscachōn meaning to be driven, and related to the Old Norse skaka meaning to shake. It evolved to the Middle English schaken.

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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

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