high sign

American  

noun

1. a gesture, glance, or facial expression used as a surreptitious signal to warn, admonish, or inform.

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high sign Idioms  

1. A secret signal intended to warn or inform, as in Dad gave us the high sign when it was time to leave. This expression presumably alludes to a gesture such as a hand wave. [c. 1900]

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Etymology

Origin of high sign

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

"And from then on, whenever I needed to, I would give him a high sign and I would go take care of it," she shared.

From Fox News • Oct. 29, 2020

It also maintains a suggestive resonance for her: A high sign is, she says, “a coded bit of language between people that exchanges information.”

From Slate • Nov. 21, 2017

The high sign arrives; the interview is over.

From The Guardian • Mar. 3, 2016

Cleary, while playing darts, got a high sign from a street urchin and went to a nearby basement.

From New York Times • Sep. 5, 2014

Manny flashed him the high sign and he flashed back.

From "145th Street: Short Stories" by Walter Dean Myers