Motion diagram. A Deaf-recorded clip from the PopSign corpus (CC BY 4.0) exists for this sign and can be placed here.
CUTE
“cute”
Brush the two fingers of a 'U' hand down your chin twice, ending in a bent shape.
Where the sign comes from
UnknownNo reliable source. We'd rather say so than invent one.
The form is well attested; its motivation is not explained in any source we can cite. Some teachers connect it to SUGAR (a related chin sign); we have not found evidence for that.
No sources — which is the point of the “unknown” tier. If you know of a documented account, the historical databases are where to check it.
The sign, taken apart
Every ASL sign is built from a handshape, a place it's made, and a movement. Learn to see these three and you can read and store any sign.
Starts as index and middle together, pointing up; ends as index and middle spread but bent at the knuckle (claw-two).
Also: letter U
Made at the chin.
One-handed.
Repeated. Palm facing in.