My Tiny Little Tea Leaves

A taxi cuts you off in Rome. A Mumbai merchant spurns your best offer. A maitre d’ snubs you in Beirut. At times like these, words can fail even the most seasoned polyglot. But now salvation is literally at hand, thanks to Rude Hand Gestures of the World, by Romana Lefevre, with photographs by Daniel Castro. If I’d had a copy of this in my days as a boy diplomat, my Foreign Service career would have come to an even more abrupt halt! Herewith a sampling, courtesy of the ever-brilliant Chronicle Books, of how to throw down with the locals, wherever you are:

I know a few hundred !

Cornhole, a simple yet addictive pastime with Midwestern origins, is sweeping the Northeast. This summer — from the Jersey Shore to Brooklyn, and from the Hamptons to the Catskills —the satisfying thump of weighted sacks hitting plywood reverberated across New York area beaches, lawns, rooftops and city sidewalks. Its mainstay is fall and the football season, when cornhole is also known as “tailgate toss” (a name that might sound better to folks who prefer to avoid the rude double entendre).

I like cornhole !