More edifying information from JD. (not)
From:
[EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Sunday, March 20, 2005 3:56
PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [TruthTalk] A little
history from a memer of my family
Subject: History of Middle
Finger
History of 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?
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 labiodentals 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." IT IS STILL AN
APPROPRIATE SALUTE TO THE FRENCH TODAY! And yew thought yew knew
everything.
