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Bush salute a Satan sign? Norwegians think so

Norwegians  were taken aback with how President Bush and the first lady saluted certain people along the inaugural parade route.
BUSH
President Bush watches as his daughter Jenna flashes the University of Texas 'Longhorn' hand sign as they attend the Texas State Society's "Black Tie and Boots Ball" on Wednesday.Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP file
/ Source: The Associated Press

President Bush’s “Hook ’em, ’horns” salute got lost in translation in Norway, where shocked people interpreted his hand gesture during his inauguration as a salute to Satan.

That’s what it means in the Nordics when you throw up the right hand with the index and pinky fingers raised, a gesture popular among heavy metal groups and their fans in the region.

“Shock greeting from Bush daughter,” a headline in the Norwegian Internet newspaper Nettavisen said above a photograph of Bush’s daughter Jenna, smiling and showing the sign.

For Texans, the gesture is a sign of love for the University of Texas Longhorns, whose fans are known to shout out “Hook ’em, ’horns!” at sporting events.

Bush, a former Texas governor, and his family made the sign to greet the Longhorn marching band as it passed during the inaugural parade through Washington during Thursday’s festivities, Norway’s largest newspaper, Verdens Gang, explained to its readers.