What Does the Bear in Skype Mean?
When you chat with friends, family and colleagues on Skype, you're not stuck trying to express yourself through words alone. When you want to be clear about your intended tone, use one of Skype's emoticons to help convey your meaning. Some of these are very clear; the smiling face and broken heart speak for themselves. Others, such as the bear, are not as self-explanatory.
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The Bear
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The bear emoticon on Skype represents a hug. If you look closely as it moves, you can see it wrapping its arms around itself and swaying back and forth. Even though the bear hugs itself, its symbolism is of offering you, the recipient, a hug. For example, if you were to tell a friend that you were laid off, she might send the bear as a response. This means that she is sending you a hug.
Other Affectionate Emoticons
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Skype offers other emoticons that you may wish to use with the same person who sent you the bear hug. One of these is a kiss, located in the second row of emoticons in the list revealed when you click the emoticon icon in your chat session. Another is a head with hearts floating around it, which means you are in love. A throbbing heart and a blossoming flower round out the list of affection emoticons on Skype.
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Other Ambiguous Emoticons
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The bear isn't the only unclear emoticon on Skype. Another example is a slowly shaking head with a white "X" over its mouth. This one means "my lips are sealed." The yellow face that turns green and frowns represents envy or jealousy. If your friend sends an emoticon of a face that suddenly closes its eyes and scrunches its mouth, he does not mean he is sneezing; this is the "doh!" emoticon. Finally, the emoticon wiping sweat from its forehead represents relief, not being tired post-workout.
Figuring out Emoticons
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If you have trouble understanding what an emoticon your friend sent means, you have a way of gaining additional information about it. Click the emoticon icon near the bottom of your chat window to bring up a list of emoticons. Find the one your friend sent you and hover your mouse cursor over it. This displays a short description of the emoticon. For example, if you hover your cursor over the bear, you see the word "Hug" appear.
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