Winking: Secret Greeting?

Recently (past few years maybe?) I have noticed that when I meet someone new, at some point in the conversation, they will wink at me. When I see this, it is not the sort of "winking" as when a TV character tells a lie and then slyly winks at the audience or imagery like that. No, this will happen mid-sentence and with a very flat-expressionless face on the person. They will simply close one eye quickly and not close the other.

I never caught this behavior before because it has never been my habit to look directly into people's eyes as intensely as i do now. I usually took in their general face and watched their lips as they spoke. It would have been very possible for me to have missed this sort of thing all my life. I just started noticing it recently and now that I watch for it, I see it more.

Here's my question: Is it normal for people to wink one eye and not the other as a twitch? Personally, I always seem to need volition to close one eye and not the other. I can pretty much say with absolute certainty that I have never had one eye shut on its own.

Are these people who are winking at me trying to tell me something? Is there a response I could give?

Who are the people who winked at you?

Your employer, someone you dated, etc?

If the conversations were just general introductions and they were winking at you, that could be some sort of 'in the know' gesture, but I don't think I have seen it done to me, any way.

Something to keep an eye out for, ha ha.

I've noticed that when I've met a few people recently....they were just talking and all of a sudden they wink....weird but I don't really know much to make out of it...

Who are the people who winked at you?

Well, maybe five people in the past couple years that I've noticed. All white males, each of whom I was meeting for the first time or having an in-depth conversation in which personal opinions and politics were being discussed.

Every time I catch this wink, I make a note to ask the person about it, but I have so far just observed it curiously. In these moments, I sometimes feel like the wink could be taken as a code type of thing where if you knew the response (like a secret handshake or something) you could give that response. Very strange.

Five people in the last couple of years?????? Oh come one, seriously, it could be anything from a natural reaction to a nervous twitch. You must have met hundreds of new people within a couple of years and only five have winked.

Its just paranoia, not any ''secret handshake''

Not paranoia, just an observation. Some dude who closes one eye and not the other? I'm not the odd one; he is. I'm not talking about "wink-wink" like in the Monty Python skit, I'm talking about the spontaneous blinking of one eye. Who blinks just one eye? I don't, that's for sure.

I'm not saying winking is always used as some kind of secret greeting, but hasn't that been true in the past?

Yeah but why would he be winking at you? Are you a part of a ''secret society'' Next time someone does it, either poke them in the eye or ask them why they just winked.

Originally posted by smallpeeps
Not paranoia, just an observation. Some dude who closes one eye and not the other? I'm not the odd one; he is. I'm not talking about "wink-wink" like in the Monty Python skit, I'm talking about the spontaneous blinking of one eye. Who blinks just one eye? I don't, that's for sure.

I'm not saying winking is always used as some kind of secret greeting, but hasn't that been true in the past?

Dude, LOTS of people have eye twitches, lazy eyes, nervous facial damage, involuntary reflexes, etc. etc. It's failry common, actually. I've seen it every once in a while. I remember one guy, in a class I was taking, that would forcibly blink his eyes really tightly together and, sometimes, only one eye! While watching the professor lecture! I don't think he was giving anyone a secret test.

Originally posted by sebatwerk

Originally posted by smallpeeps
Not paranoia, just an observation. Some dude who closes one eye and not the other? I'm not the odd one; he is. I'm not talking about "wink-wink" like in the Monty Python skit, I'm talking about the spontaneous blinking of one eye. Who blinks just one eye? I don't, that's for sure.

I'm not saying winking is always used as some kind of secret greeting, but hasn't that been true in the past?

Dude, LOTS of people have eye twitches, lazy eyes, nervous facial damage, involuntary reflexes, etc. etc. It's failry common, actually. I've seen it every once in a while. I remember one guy, in a class I was taking, that would forcibly blink his eyes really tightly together and, sometimes, only one eye! While watching the professor lecture! I don't think he was giving anyone a secret test.

I know at least two guys that do that hard blinking thing, its not really that odd is it.

Maybe you're extraordinarily dry and people need to keep their eyes lubricated when they're around you...

Dry eye, paranoia, nervous tic, flirting with you, paranoia, something in the eye, paranoia, flirting at the girl behind you.
Dude, even if what you say could be true, why would they be testing you? Or, maybe they were really reptilians

Ya ought to have more eye contact with people, that way you can sense that they are being genuine.

I always check out the eyes, especially on the females They can tell you a hell of a lot.

I suppose if a man winks at you across a bar for instance, then maybe he might sort of fancy you, the same way as a women would maybe do it. If for example you get a wink when you say hello, then that is just a way of replying. Don't worry about it.

Stick to my tip. Check out the eyes

I wink at everyone just for the sake of winking.

There is an easy solution to your "white guys are winking at me" problem and this is how it's done:

Step 1: STOP HANGING OUT IN GAY BARS!!!

Thank you.

Have you tried responses? Codewords, handshakes, or simply winking back could help you in your fact-finding mission and even get you into a secret society (and of course report back the goings on within here).

Have you tried responses? Codewords, handshakes, or simply winking back could help you in your fact-finding mission and even get you into a secret society (and of course report back the goings on within here).

LOL, this is exactly what I have planned for the next time I observe this. I'll let you all know the result.

I posted this message as a tongue in cheek bit of fun, but everything I said is true. It's just one of those things regarding which, I said, "Dang, I should see if anybody else has noticed this..." and since there haven't been many positive responses, I have come to the conclusion that I am just meeting people who have the same odd nervous tick...

Weird tho'. At least now I don't feel stupid for not knowing the response. But if I hadn't asked, I'd always wonder about it.

Originally posted by smallpeeps
Recently (past few years maybe?) I have noticed that when I meet someone new, at some point in the conversation, they will wink at me. When I see this, it is not the sort of "winking" as when a TV character tells a lie and then slyly winks at the audience or imagery like that. No, this will happen mid-sentence and with a very flat-expressionless face on the person. They will simply close one eye quickly and not close the other.

I never caught this behavior before because it has never been my habit to look directly into people's eyes as intensely as i do now. I usually took in their general face and watched their lips as they spoke. It would have been very possible for me to have missed this sort of thing all my life. I just started noticing it recently and now that I watch for it, I see it more.

Here's my question: Is it normal for people to wink one eye and not the other as a twitch? Personally, I always seem to need volition to close one eye and not the other. I can pretty much say with absolute certainty that I have never had one eye shut on its own.

Are these people who are winking at me trying to tell me something? Is there a response I could give?

Do you use the name 'smallpeeps', that could account fo this phenomina ?

They might think its an instruction ?

Do you use the name 'smallpeeps', that could account fo this phenomina ?

No. In my real life I go by the name 'Throatwobbler Mangrove'. Perfectly normal. :^)

Seriously though, isn't it true that some secret societies DO use winking as a kind of greeting? Is that just an urban legend? I know I've heard that before.

I notice more people winking at me when I miss a dose of my Paxil.

I have been reading your past posts (pauses for a dramatic wink...) and you don't come across as a sensasionalist so I take this rather seriously.

Did they wink all the same eye ?


[edit on 16-3-2005 by Silenus]