On Mon, 3 Mar 2003, Ryan Grove wrote: @> Hmm. It would be interesting to learn where the rest of you are from. I @> wonder if we could find a pattern here. I'm also from Boston, MA, although I lived in Ohio for a few years. As far as I'm concerned, a shrug always includes lifting at least one shoulder and rolling it back slightly and generally including a tilt of the head (to the side of the shrug, if uni-armed). Extreme versions may also involve the palm-up gesture, or eye-rolling. It's generally used to indicate a lack of knowledge of or desire to discuss some topic, although it may also indicate a willingness to accept whatever the other person said unconditionally. In the latter case, it's generally followed by a nod or some mumbling.