History of the Middle Finger

Well, now.....here's something I never knew before, and now that I

know it, I feel compelled to send it on to my more intelligent friends in

the hope that they, too, will feel edified.

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

they would 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!

It is also because of the pheasant feathers on the arrows used with

the longbow that the symbolic gesture is known as "giving the bird."

And yew thought yew knew everything.

i always thought that was for the 2 finger insult

wannabe (imported) wrote: Thu Dec 11, 2003 3:35 pm i always thought that was for the 2 finger insult

Wannabe,

You are correct, it takes two fingers to pull a bow and it is said that when the French threatened to cut the fingers off any English (Welsh actually) bowmen they caught the bowmen invented the 'V' sign to show that they still had them.

LOL

Studlover (imported) wrote: Wed Dec 10, 2003 8:58 pm History of the Middle Finger

Well, now.....here's something I never knew before, and now that I

know it, I feel compelled to send it on to my more intelligent friends in

the hope that they, too, will feel edified.

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

they would 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!

It is also because of the pheasant feathers on the arrows used with

the longbow that the symbolic gesture is known as "giving the bird."

And yew thought yew knew everything.

Wow, I never knew what the history of it was. I always just thought it was an insult. Now I know the history of it. Thank you!

OK, I know this thread is OLD, hell, it is eight and a half years since this thread has been posted in, but I have stumbled across it and now I want to know about the "middle finger" or the "V for Victory" or the "Peace sign" two finger thing...

DOES ANYONE KNOW, REALLY KNOW, just what gesture the British archers and soldiers actually used following their victory at the Battle of Agincourt?

I have heard... one person who was absolutely certain and said he had just completed a college history course where he learned that the French had intended to castrate all captured British prisoners after they won the battle (the French were absolutely sure they were going to win) and they made sure to let it be known they were going to either kill or castrate every British soldier in France. After the shocking victory, the British soldiers held up their two fingers as the French prisoners were marched past them, the British held their two fingers up to say "YEAH! I still got a pair between my legs!" <- THIS STORY was told to me by someone who claimed he absolutely KNEW what he was talking about....

But then... I heard that it was not castrating that the French were going to do to the British prisoner, it was that they were going to amputate TWO fingers from all the British archers....

Now, I read this, that it was one finger, and that is the root of the "one finger salute."

OK OK OK! DAMN! So many versions of "the truth" and so many people who just KNOW they are right. Does anyone here know? Could you please also offer your sources?

Were the French going to amputate one finger? Two fingers? Or castrate the British prisoners they never got?

The British soldiers... did they hold up one finger? Or two fingers in the "V for Victory" sign?

I will allow this OLD thread to continue,

So as I understand it we are looking for the origin of the two/one finger salute?

I love it.

River

This particular etymology has been debunked repeatedly. http://www.snopes.com/language/apocryph/pluckyew.asp (Snopes won't let you cut and paste so you will have to go to the link)

Wikipaedea has origin as http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finger_(gesture)

Origin

The finger is one of the most ancient insult gestures and was seen as phallic in meaning.[1] The earliest attested reference to the finger comes from Ancient Greece when it was known as the κατάπυγον[2][3] (katapugon, from kata - κατά, "downwards"[4] and pugē - πυγή, "rump, buttocks"[5]) and reference is made to using the finger in ancient Greek comedy to insult another person, where the term katapugon also meant "a male (or a female, katapugaina[6]) who submits to anal penetration".[7] In Ancient Roman writings it is identified as the digitus impudicus (impudent finger)[8][1] and the widespread usage of the finger in many cultures is likely because of the geographical influence of the Roman Empire and Greco-Roman civilization.[citation needed] Another possible origin of this gesture can be found in the first-century Mediterranean world, where extending the finger was one of many methods used to divert the ever-present threat of the evil eye offense.[9]

Baseball pitcher Old Hoss Radbourn pictured giving the finger to cameraman, 1886. (Back row, far left). First known photograph of the gesture.[10]

According to anthropologist Desmond Morris, the gesture probably came to the United States from Italian immigrants and is documented as early as 1886 when a baseball pitcher for the Boston Beaneaters was photographed giving it to a member of the rival New York Giants.[1]

Somehow giving someone the "impudent finger" sounds more poetic than flipping someone the bird.

Transward