I have no idea if this is true or not and, quite frankly, I don't care. You're going to love it anyway.
at Antimullah:
MIDDLE FINGER SALUTE ORIGIN
The 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?
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 English longbow 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! 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.
'AND TO THINK IT IS STILL AN APPROPRIATE SALUTE TO OUR ENEMIES TODAY!
And yew thought yew knew every plucking thing.
7 comments:
hahahah! :-) Excellent article ! I am going to direct more people to your site. peace!
The simplest explanation usually being the correct one, I'd call that story real suspect. Nevertheless, worthy of a Terry Pratchett novel! Where can I get a bumper sticker made...?
A facinating story, and essentially fabricated.
I have heard it in a variation before - but in that, it's the older V-sign that is produced, not the more recent middle finger.
The origin of 'fuck' has at least three colorful origins - all of which are false. The correct origin is rather less exciting. It's a corruption of dutch verb that means 'to thrust.'
Suricou,
Now tell us about the origin of the word "cunt".
I'll bet that one is actually kind of fun, isn't it?
"Pluck You" is just one of the hillarious lessons learned in the video Assume the Position with Mr. Wuhl.
I caught the tail end of the first part of this program on HBO two years ago. The video finally became available for purchase. There are two episodes (wish there were more) available for viewing. I highly recommend Robert Wuhl's most entertaining lectures on historical and a-historical events.
YouTube has a poor quality clip of the 'pluck you' segment here.
HRW
Here is another clip (better quality) from the video linked above which demonstrates Wuhl's humor tying Nathanial Hawthorne, Franklin Pierce and GW together.
Wuhl's talks about media in this segment which can be readily adapted for use with Obama.
HRW
I can concur with Suricou - the English longbowmen would stick two fingers up at the French as an act of defiance as it was these fingers the French cut off if captured. I was taught this in History lessons in the mid-80s along with other patriotic history that taught us all a sense of pride in being one of the most powerful nations on earth (that would be Britain by the way).
Unfortunately these lessons are long gone and replaced by culturally sensitive claptrap and apologetic nonsense which bears little resemblance to the truth which is we were kicking ass and taking names whilst most European nations were preoccupied with wearing the right coloured tunics. We also have a brutal history of the people taking things into their own hands when the government/monarchy/kirk stopped representing the masses. Its happened before, it'll happen again - bring on the revolution.
Back in topic, the middle finger is a variation on a theme and if you think about it doesn't really fit if you're talking about archery as you don't just use one finger.
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