Cantr II Discussion Forum

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?



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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.

that's really interesting, except that the "pluck yew" thing doesn't really make sense. F*CK = Fornication Under Consent of the King. I think it was used when brothels needed a lisence from the king or something like that. So it didn't arise from "pluck". I kinda doubt that the mispronunciation of pluck just happened to coincide with the acronym and the two ideas were merged, though i guess it's possible.

F.. U.. Carnal Knowledge a catholic term.

oh, maybe im wrong about the acronym... that's what i heard anyway....

My understanding was that the two fingered saulte, the two fingered v sign, arose form that occurence, not the middle finger

The two finger salute which used to be swearing here in England originated from the army who defied the enemy armies showing that they still had the two fingers to shoot their longbows with. So they showed their two fingers.

Erik, it still *is* swearing, and that is what I just said in the post previous

Hardly anyone does it anymore. And whenever someone does, nobody cares most of the time. In my books it ain't swearing.

What does your dad think of it when you do it to him?

I don't do it to him. I think it is a bit silly and pointless to stick the two fingers up.

well, i bet if you did, and did it to other people they would consider it swearing, and they would care

Ok, OK, OK......

don't argue with the native

I've lived here long enough to know some things. However, there are somethings that the British do that are not right. Mispelling center for example. It's center. Not Centre. Grrrrr.......

Do you really want me to get going on "How America Destroyed the English Language"?

I can start with my church building: The building itself is around 3 centuries older than your country!

So I think we can safely say the english way of spelling the English language is correct, seeing as we've been around longer