Thumbing one's nose, also known as cocking a snook, is a sign of derision, disrespect, contempt, or defiance, made by putting the thumb on the nose, holding the palm open and perpendicular to the face, and wiggling the remaining fingers.'Cock a snook' – the meaning and origin of this phrase, Phrases.org.uk. Retrieved at 1 January 2018 It is used mostly by schoolchildren. It is also known as thumbing the nose, Anne's Fan or Queen Anne's Fan.( - no explicit connection to one specific Queen Anne in this source.)"The British also call it "Queen Anne's fan" because it became popular during her reign, of 1702-1714." Cocking a snook at a bender, Chris Lloyd for The Northern Echo, Darlington, 6 Sep 2018, accessed 11 Oct 2021.
The phrase cocking a snook can be used figuratively: the Oxford English Dictionary cites a 1938 usage by Eric Ambler in his Cause for Alarm, where he writes that the Rome–Berlin axis "cocked the biggest snook yet at the League of Nations idea".
The gesture was commonly used by Charlie Chaplin, especially in his earlier films.
See also I've got your nose Mooning Reverse V sign The finger
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