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Posc
'05 Poster of the Year!
191 Posts |
 Posted - 03/02/2004 : 11:38:18
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> Here's something that 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. Is not
history,
> and the "English" language, 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 (This is real! I looked it up.) '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."
> (Flipping, damit!)
>
> And so now "yew" know everything about Giving the Finger or
> "Flipping" the Bird!
All or nothing |
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innov82
Underclassman
USA
2 Posts |
Posted - 03/05/2004 : 16:35:06
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| I give it a 2 for credibility and an 8 for humor. |
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y82benji
'04 Poster of the Year!
USA
601 Posts |
Posted - 05/27/2004 : 23:06:31
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| I dunno, almost seems plausible. There are a lot of very odd origins for both English and French traditions. Funny though. |
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bhamnt
Upperclassman
15 Posts |
Posted - 05/27/2004 : 23:19:43
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I just did some research and here is what I found:
Experts who have studied the history of the raised middle finger - and there are a few out there - have found written references to it as far back as ancient Greek and Roman times. The gesture's sexual meaning has always been roughly the same, and it has always been considered rude.
Those findings, the experts say, debunk a common legend that "flipping the bird" got its start at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. As that story goes, the victorious British supposedly raised their middle fingers after the French threatened to chop off the middle digits of captured English soldiers. But experts say there is no written proof of the story.
Widely publicized displays of the middle finger have increased in recent years - in some cases, with little consequence to the bird-flipper. But that wasn't always the case, as comedian Jackie Mason learned the hard way.
In 1964, Mason was banned from "The Ed Sullivan Show" - and for a time, network television appearances - after he appeared to flip the bird on live, national TV. Sullivan was livid. Mason denies he made the gesture.
There was, however, no mistaking the middle finger that Vice President Nelson Rockefeller gave in 1976. A now infamous photo - shocking in its day - shows him smiling widely as he returned the bird to student demonstrators in Binghamton, N.Y.
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/breaking_news/5246385.htm?1c
P.S. Didn't know Rockefeller flipped someone off on camera.  |
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Posc
'05 Poster of the Year!
191 Posts |
Posted - 06/06/2004 : 14:31:16
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Thanks for the research. I didn't even know we had a Rockefeller in the White House!
Support terrorists. Vote Bush out of office. |
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keenomacdaddy
Graduate Assistant
USA
34 Posts |
Posted - 06/09/2004 : 19:09:06
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How can I become an expert who gets paid to study the history of the middle finger? I think I shoudl be less productive in life. Man, my guidance counselor never told me about all these opportunities.  |
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y82benji
'04 Poster of the Year!
USA
601 Posts |
Posted - 06/09/2004 : 19:27:59
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| Not a lot of these people get paid very well - and I bet the ones that do had to get like 10 degrees and publish hundreds of articles. |
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History of middle finger
