The "finger"

[CAROSI]

It must be true. I read it on the wall in the bathroom.


History of 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."

 

[Guest]

Hmmmm, interesting. I don't think I'll ever think of that gesture in the same way again.

(must do research.....is this true?)

da Moon

 

[penguindance]

 

[EX-Member]

Interesting but...

Don't the English "flip the bird" with the index and the middle finger?

 

[punkrockpoet]

Ex-member is right. the british give a "v" sign using the middle and index finger. it takes more that just one finger to draw a bow. after the french invaision,, they cut off all the archers' middle and index fingers. as they generation got old and passed on, the younger "fingered" generation came up and took their place. eventualy they overthrew the french and as they were driven out cursed them and held their middle and index fingers extended and aloft.

how we got out present version of "the finger" is not quite sure to me, but it is based on the british.

 

[punkrockpoet]

also, the etymology of the word "fuck" is not a bastardized derivative of "pluck". it is actually a descendent of the old english word "fuken" and the germanic word "fokken" meaning to strike or to copulate. the swedish word "fock" meaning "penis" probably had some bearing on its bawdy meaning.

 

[punkrockpoet]

sorry, i'm an english major. we get anal about this stuff.

 

[Sillyman]

It's cuz it looks like a penis, how hard is this to get? Little kids get the concept by the time they are six. I don't know a single kindergartner who is incapable of flipping someone off.

 

[metal_minx]

how we got out present version of "the finger" is not quite sure to me, but it is based on the british.

its because we americans are lazy '-)