History of the middle finger

by doodle-v 16 Replies latest social humour

  • doodle-v
    doodle-v

    Isn't history more fun when you know something about it?

    Giving the Finger

    Before the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, the French, anticipating victory
    over the English, proposed to cut off the middle finger of all captured
    English soldiers. Without the middle finger it would be impossible to draw
    the renowned English longbow and therefore be incapable of fighting in the
    future.

    This famous weapon was made of the native English Yew tree, and the act of
    drawing the longbow was known as "plucking the yew" (or "pluck yew").

    Much to the bewilderment of the French, the English won a major upset and
    began mocking the French by waving their middle fingers at the defeated
    French, saying, "See, we can still pluck yew! "PLUCK YEW!"
    Since 'pluck yew' is rather difficult to say, the difficult consonant
    cluster at the beginning has gradually changed
    to a labiodental fricative 'F', and thus the words often
    used in conjunction with the one-finger-salute are mistakenly thought to
    have something to do with an intimate encounter.

    It is also because of the pheasant feathers on the arrows used w/ the
    longbow that the symbolic gesture is known as "giving the bird."

    And yew thought yew knew everything

    Doodle-v

    Regular Wine-eer

  • Vivamus
    Vivamus

    LOL

    -

    And the world shall tremble in the wake of the Blue Bubblegum
    Dutch District Overbeer/Margarita

  • StinkyPantz
    StinkyPantz

    Thanks Doodle. . .

  • onacruse
    onacruse

    Yeah! I just recently read something about this...amazing, the history of our languages.

    Craig

  • Dimples
    Dimples

    Cool info....Thanks!

    Dimples

  • Robdar
    Robdar

    Interesting little tale. But is it historically accurate?

    I always thought that the Brits use a front hand victory symbol with the thumb visble in the v of the pointer and middle fingers to connote "phuk yew" Although I am sure that they understand the meaning of the American version of "giving the finger".

    Rob

  • funkyderek
    funkyderek

    No, it's not true, but I assume it was posted as a joke anyway, right?

    http://www.snopes.com/language/apocryph/pluckyew.htm

  • drwtsn32
    drwtsn32

    Awwwww!!! Not true, huh? Well it was a fun read.

  • arrowstar
    arrowstar

    doodle!!

    Thanks for the morning joke!!

    You're the BEST!

    Lisa

  • Englishman
    Englishman

    This is the classic Brit "v sign" that is said to stem from Agincourt, the 2 bow drawing fingers being derisively waved around. Churchill, knowing full well that the gesture was considered vulgar in the extreme, endeared himself to the common man by simply reversing the gesture and calling it the "V for victory sign".

    See how the hand has now been turned through 180 degrees:

    Englishman.

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