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history of the middle finger

working woman

New member
Site Supporter
History of 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 hanged 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."

IT IS STILL AN APPROPRIATE SALUTE TO THE FRENCH TODAY!
 

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Ice Queen

Bronze Member
SUPER Site Supporter
Watching a tv programme a long while ago, I understood that the Victorians, when arresting prostitutes had to write the nature of the 'crime' and used to write 'for unlawful carnal knowledge' and then fed up with writing all this out, started using only the first letters of the words ............!
 

lilnixon

AKA LILVIXEN
GOLD Site Supporter
Actually it is the index and middle finger that were cut off. The Official BIRD in England is a V. Not to be confused with the "V" for victory sign.
 

beds

New member
working woman said:
History of 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.

How are you going to share it with your more intelligent friends?:whistle:
 

Snowcat Operations

Active member
SUPER Site Supporter
An insult that has lasted for almost 600 years! Has to be a record. And it couldnt have happend to nicer a bunch of cowards. Thats probrably how they lost that battle. They turned and ran as fast as they could.:yum:
 

Junkman

Extra Super Moderator
I was told that it originated from the saying "Fornication Under Consent of the King", back in the days when you need to have permission from the King to marry....
 
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