thew Posted April 29, 2004 Share Posted April 29, 2004 _ > /'_-/) > ,/_ / > / / > /'_'/' '/'__'/','/' > / '/ / / / / _\ > ('( ' ' _ ___;\ > \ | > \ ' / > \ _./' > \ \ > \ \ > 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 E! nglish 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. > > > Do you Yahoo!? > Yahoo! Tax Center - File online by April 15th > > > Do you Yahoo!? > Yahoo! Tax Center - File online by April 15th Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miragv Posted April 29, 2004 Share Posted April 29, 2004 Interesting.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BG Posted April 29, 2004 Share Posted April 29, 2004 This was actually posted before..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldskool Posted April 29, 2004 Share Posted April 29, 2004 That is not the actual origin of the word “f-u-c-k-“ but a nice story nonetheless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redman Posted April 29, 2004 Share Posted April 29, 2004 Forced and Unlawful Carnal Knowledge The acronym was scratched on the walls of the rapists convicted of this charge in England. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ancalagon the Black Posted April 30, 2004 Share Posted April 30, 2004 thew: lies redman: lies all lies, all lies! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skins24 Posted April 30, 2004 Share Posted April 30, 2004 http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl-pluck-yew.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldskool Posted April 30, 2004 Share Posted April 30, 2004 [Middle English, attested in pseudo-Latin fuccant, (they) ****, deciphered from gxddbov.] Word History: The obscenity **** is a very old word and has been considered shocking from the first, though it is seen in print much more often now than in the past. Its first known occurrence, in code because of its unacceptability, is in a poem composed in a mixture of Latin and English sometime before 1500. The poem, which satirizes the Carmelite friars of Cambridge, England, takes its title, “Flen flyys,” from the first words of its opening line, “Flen, flyys, and freris,” that is, “fleas, flies, and friars.” The line that contains **** reads “Non sunt in coeli, quia gxddbov xxkxzt pg ifmk.” The Latin words “Non sunt in coeli, quia,” mean “they [the friars] are not in heaven, since.” The code “gxddbov xxkxzt pg ifmk” is easily broken by simply substituting the preceding letter in the alphabet, keeping in mind differences in the alphabet and in spelling between then and now: i was then used for both i and j; v was used for both u and v; and vv was used for w. This yields “fvccant [a fake Latin form] vvivys of heli.” The whole thus reads in translation: “They are not in heaven because they **** wives of Ely [a town near Cambridge].” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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