people wave by raising their hand and moving it from side to side. another common wave is to raise one's hand and repeatedly move the fingers downward toward the palm. a variant known as the wiggly wave consists of holding the hand near shoulder level and wiggling the fingers randomly. this can be used to appear cute or flirtatious to the target of the wave. the gesture can be used to attract attention at a distance. most commonly, though, the gesture means quite simply "hello" or "goodbye