Colext/Macondo
Cantina virtual de los COLombianos en el EXTerior
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Subject: giving the finger
> >
> >
> > THE FINGER
> > > 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 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 are mistakenly thought to
> > > have something to do with an intimate encounter.
> > >
> > > It is also because of the pheasant feathers on the
> > > arrows used w/ the longbow that the symbolic
> > > gesture is known as "giving the bird".
> > >
> > > And yew thought yew knew everything....
Juan A. Lopez
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