Resigning OTB games

Is extending your hand out without saying anything in OTB a universal sign of resignation? 

It could be a draw offer.

usually it means its resignation..

If it's clearly lost, then they'll know it's resignation... so yes, you can just extend your hand.  Also you'll know a bit by the body language both before the offer and during it.

I usually do one of two things first though.  Either stop the clock right before extending my hand.  In this case it's obvious I'm not offering a draw :)  Or I'll symbolically lay my king on its side for a second, set it back up and extend my hand.

Once though I was beating a guy pretty badly, but he kept playing on for a number of moves.  After a long think he started to reach out so I sat up and extend my hand thinking he was resigning, but then he scratched his cheek, heh oops :)

So anyway, when you're clearly lost your opponent is usually waiting for it.

Why don't you offer your hand and compliment it with a: 'good game, I resign, thanks for the game'

Then it will be clear for all.  

unless your opponent stops the clock and extend his hand I wouldn't take the hand cause I would be afraid that I somehow overheard him offering draw. He should stop the clock and resign.
it wouldn't make sense to resign and then stop the clock.

we are human but we aren't alloud to be human in chess everybody is expected to be just as babble happy about losing as winning.
I studied some pocket psychology and people behave differently when disappointed at a loss. it could lead a person to do childish stuff like throwing pieces or hammer his hand to the wall. it is a defence mechanism human have instead of crying. 
I don't know if you can train not to "be human"

Can you offer your hand in a lost position, and when they shake claim it was for a draw? What's stopping you?

yes you could and if the person you are playing against is hearing impaired it might even work.

I remember one time, my opponent was clearly lost. He holds out his hand for handshake, and directly afterwards leaves the room for ten minutes. I was still around there when he came back in to say goodgame and all that, which I hadn't expected him to do. After he left the room, it was still unclear whether he had resigned or not. So here in South dakota, it is clear that whenever you just do a handshake (no draw offer said or intended) it is resignation.

I say "I resign" and offer a handshake. Usually I don't say anything beyond that, because other games are still going on.

If I _really_ wanted to avoid saying anything, I would tip my king over and offer a handshake.

Both of those are completely unambiguous.

Yeah tipping the king is also an obvious move, but why are chess players so adverse to actually speaking.

Games still going on next to me. There's a good chance that one of the players is deep in thought and sometimes speaking can disrupt that. I might be trying to find out the relative merits of some line, compared with some other line I was just looking at, and then some guy to my right starts talking? Even if I have to shush him, or give him a look, it still takes me out of the zone. If I'm in time trouble, those 30 seconds might be very valuable.

The other thing is that I _think_ that official etiquette is that you shouldn't say anything really. So however infrequent it may be, when I'm at one of the top boards of a tournament, I'll avoid talking much at all. The one exception is draw offers - is there a way to offer a draw without saying anything?

why disturb the other players playing, just two words like I'll resign could break the concentraion for another player.
actually Josh Waitzkin wrote in his book that russian kids would use chess pieces knocking against the table that you wouldn't hear but your brain registered it as very annoying. - to break the brain concentraion.
that is also the reason why no chessplayers say check anymore. cause you could have a series of checks . check check check check check.

Sure, that's how it happens in a club, but at a tournament you have to be mindful of your surroundings.  There are many games going on and it's as quiet as a library.

I see a lot of improvised sign language, which is a courteous way to conduct yourself.  Besides you can tell if they're offering a congratulatory (or token) handshake by their body language, they shouldn't need to say "You played a fine game and deserved to win" or some other BS.

I saw one man sit up and catch his opponent's eye, then with hands at chest level about a foot in front of him make and "X" with a finger from each hand.  I'm guessing he was offering a draw, but I'd never seen this before.

I've seen it a lot. people who have a very high percentage draw result have come up with there own sign for draw.

magnus lost to Queen Kosteniuk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeyXKTVYenA at 7:36 or something ...."by leaving the board he showed that he resign." it almost looks as if magnus spits her in the face.

I seem to recall a story about two players, they might have been GMs, playing out a tough endgame. Player A made a move, then Player B smiled and extended his hand. Player A wrote 1-0 on his scoresheet, and Player B wrote 1/2-1/2 !