What Does The 'Man Looking At Three Fingers' Meme Mean? The 'Inglourious Basterds' Reaction Image Explained

How did a picture of a German officer looking at three fingers become associated with fake fans and posers giving themselves away?

Many remember the unsettling Inglorious Basterds scene in which Major Hellstrom catches a British spy from this meme format, but how did he actually catch the bluff? Learn what the "three fingers" meme means in our brief explainer.

Where Does Major Hellstrom Sees Three Fingers Meme Come From?

The scene from which the meme comes appears in the 2009 film Inglourious Basterds by Quentin Tarantino. In the scene, the character Archie Hicox, a British spy, blows his cover when ordering drinks by using the wrong finger gesture for "three," which is immediately noticed by German officer Dieter Hellstrom, portrayed by August Diehl.

What Does The 'Major Hellstrom Sees Three Fingers' Meme Mean?

The image of Major Hellstrom looking at three fingers has been widely used online as a reaction, typically used to indicate that someone has slipped up. But what did the British officer actually do in the scene that gave him away?

In Germany, the traditional finger gesture for "three" involves raising one's thumb, as opposed to raising one's ring finger in addition to the index and middle fingers in most countries. By not using his thumb to show "three" when ordering drinks, Hicox immediately gave away that he was not a German native but a foreign spy, with Hellstrom confronting him and the scene ultimately ending in a deadly shootout.

Major Hellstrom Sees Three Fingers Scene In Memes

The image of Major Hellstrom looking at three fingers, also known as "Guy Holding Up Three Fingers," has consistently been used in memes since February 2024 when X user @vanillatary posted the image with a joke about Millennials trying to blend in with Zoomers but giving themselves away by saying "doggo," a slang word primarily associated with Gen Y.

Jokes about people making slips while pretending to be someone else have been the primary way the meme has been used online, with Hellstrom's stare instantly indicating that somebody made a mistake and gave themselves away.

For example, saying "Orcs" instead of "Orks" when talking about Warhammer 40K is a surefire way to let fans know you're probably not all that familiar with the universe.

For the full history of Major Hellstrom Sees Three Fingers, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.