Hang Loose

“Hang loose!” It made me laugh that our Camp Speaker, an Awana missionary & pastor in Illinois, was using the phrase with a corresponding wave-like gesture to me. I’m midwest as Marianne on Gilligan’s Island, and a “sheltered little church girl,” but it was fun.

It was also the message I needed just then. A day or so later I asked him what it means. The meaning seems obvious, but I was looking for history. He just picked it up from a friend. I am imparting to you now the knowledge of research:

hang loose
To do nothing.
To be relaxed and unperturbed by one's surroundings, etc.
- from allwords.com

to hang loose is to be cool, you are going with the flowIt is a surfing slang from your posture when you are totally comfortable standing on a surfboard, in control but just riding the wave
- from Yahoo Answers

… in Hawaii the same gesture [pinky and thumb pointed out of a fist like a bulls head – similarly used as a Texas Longhorn symbol] pointed forward, and waggled a bit, means "Hang Loose", a friendly signal of commeraderie among the locals, which I've noticed tends to stick in the minds of the tourists even after they go home. And since rich people tend to visit Hawaii often, well, you can extrapolate from there.

To God be all glory.