William Safire doesn't get the thanks he deserves

I disagreed with almost all his politics, but even his opponents admired his skills as a writer and editor.

Safire asks the enormous NYTimes readership to decide which is the best gesture for thank you, and there is no real winner.

1. The A-O.K. “I’ve always given the hand signal popularized by the astronauts: form a circle with your thumb and forefinger.” An emendation: “Make sure the other three fingers are upright.” ANDY: THIS IS NOT EVEN CLOSE.

2. Thumbs-Up. “A single thumb-up, accompanied by a nod of the head and eye contact.” ANDY: Totally wrong.

3. Hollywood-Indian How. “I raise my hand, palm forward, and mouth, ‘Thank you,’ because the windows are up, and nod. Drawback: It’s identified with feelings other than gratitude, including overlap with the Western greeting “howdy.”

4. Namaste. “The bow with both hands pressed together as in prayer. While driving, this can be performed with one hand only so as to keep the other hand on the steering wheel.” ANDY: This means many other things too.

5. Tip of the Hat. “The Australian way is a loose-hand ‘hat doff,’ open palm, thumb close to the ear.” ANDY: Young people don't know this.

6. All-Digit Lefty Wiggle-Waggle. “A raised, outward-facing palm wiggled back and forth, coupled with a smiling, spoken ‘Thank you’ in case my benefactor can see my lips.” (Wiggle is usually applied to body movement; waggle to the fingers.) ANDY: This makes you look wishy-washy.

7. Brow-Touch Salute and Hat-Doff Combo. “My cocker spaniel, Fortunato, and I face a busy intersection with no traffic signal, awaiting a courteous driver to slow down to let us cross. By placing the tips of my index, middle fingers and thumb high on the side of my forehead, I offer a gesture that combines a hat tip with a more severe military salute and mouth ‘Thanks’ at the same time. ANDY: Not big enough to be seen from a distance.

8. The Hawaiian Shaka. “In Hawaii, the hand sign for ‘thank you’ is a waggle of the upward thumb and forward-pointing pinkie with the middle three fingers curled to the palm.” ANDY: I'm from Hawaii, this is totally wrong.

9. Wheeltop Index-Finger Waggle. “Acknowledge a gracious right-of-way by raising the right index finger off the top of the steering wheel.” ANDY: Yikes!

10. The Wave. ANDY: Sorry, this means hello, goodbye.