FYI

Zigzag2
*TFF Senior Staff*
Posts: 5748
(3/9/03 6:55:26 pm)
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FYI
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> Subject: History of 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!"
>
> Over the years some 'folk etymologies' have grown up around this symbolic
> gesture. Since 'pluck yew' is rather difficult to say (like "pleasant
> mother pheasant plucker," which is who you had to go to for the feathers
> used on the arrows for the longbow),
> 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 that the
> symbolic
> gesture is known as "giving the bird."
>
> And yew all thought yew knew everything!


ZiggedandZagged@aol.com





IShootBack
V.I.P. Member
Posts: 92
(3/10/03 7:42:32 am)
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sounds like i didn't know everything after all
Great post.
Guns cause crime, like spoons made Rosie fat

cointoss 2
*TFF Staff*
Posts: 1395
(3/10/03 9:49:39 am)
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Re: FYI
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That is a good one Zigzag, and we all ought to continue the tradition of waving the middle finger at the French still.
cointoss2

SouthernMoss
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Posts: 115
(3/10/03 11:54:53 am)
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Re: FYI
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...another urban legend
www.snopes.com/language/apocryph/pluckyew.htm

Smokin Guns
V.I.P. Member
Posts: 873
(3/10/03 5:48:04 pm)
Reply | Edit | Del Hey!
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That's an excellent "Urban Legend" though...

SouthernMoss
V.I.P. Member
Posts: 118
(3/10/03 7:04:24 pm)
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Re: Hey!
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yep. a lot more entertaining than the "real" origins...