@DCGoldPants Posted July 19, 2002 Share Posted July 19, 2002 A 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!" Over the years some 'folk etymologies' have grown up around this symbolic gesture. Since 'pluck yew' is rather difficult to say (like "pleasant mother pheasant plucker," which is who you had to go to for the feathers used on the arrows for the longbow), 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 that the symbolic gesture is known as "giving the bird." And y'all thought yew knew everything! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Om Posted July 19, 2002 Share Posted July 19, 2002 Word. "Hey, Frenchy! :finger: " "Oh, ya? Well, then ... I fart in your general direction." War is hell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@DCGoldPants Posted July 19, 2002 Author Share Posted July 19, 2002 OM- I would appreciate it if you added that little story to your monthly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Om Posted July 19, 2002 Share Posted July 19, 2002 Hey, pluck yew, man! Think I don't know a good story when I see one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murilo Bustamante Posted July 19, 2002 Share Posted July 19, 2002 Sounds like it comes from the "Blackadder Encyclopedia of English History." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riggo-toni Posted July 19, 2002 Share Posted July 19, 2002 Cute story (I must've been emailed this at least a dozen times), but completely urban legend. Giving the middle finger goes all the way back to Roman times, and the origins of the "f" word most likely come from German. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog Posted July 19, 2002 Share Posted July 19, 2002 now, why ruin a perfectly good story with logic and common sense? :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soliloquy Posted July 19, 2002 Share Posted July 19, 2002 Originally posted by Murilo Bustamante Sounds like it comes from the "Blackadder Encyclopedia of English History." :rotflmao: :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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