Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: boxboy28 on May 12, 2004, 02:36:29 PM

Title: history of the flipping the bird
Post by: boxboy28 on May 12, 2004, 02:36:29 PM: http://rense.com/general52/historyofthemiddlefinger.htm

History Of The Middle Finger
Is This A Myth?
Forwarded By Dave Nelms
5-12-4

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 "pluckyew").

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!

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 yew thought yew knew everything
Title: history of the flipping the bird
Post by: Dead Man Flying on May 12, 2004, 02:42:08 PM: Myth.

-- Todd/Leviathn
Title: history of the flipping the bird
Post by: Makarov9 on May 12, 2004, 02:43:11 PM: ,.!..
Title: Re: history of the flipping the bird
Post by: Mickey1992 on May 12, 2004, 02:43:20 PM: Quote
Originally posted by boxboy28
And yew thought yew knew everything

As of 11/2003, yes, I know everything. :D

http://www.hitechcreations.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=101724
Title: Re: history of the flipping the bird
Post by: CyranoAH on May 12, 2004, 02:47:20 PM: Quote
Originally posted by boxboy28
http://rense.com/general52/historyofthemiddlefinger.htm
And yew thought yew knew everything

Obviously yew didn't know Snopes:

http://www.snopes.com/language/apocryph/pluckyew.htm

Daniel
Title: history of the flipping the bird
Post by: frank3 on May 12, 2004, 03:18:26 PM: Nonono boxboy actually has a good item there! This could very well be true!

But I do recall the English sticking up 2 vingers (but not the peace sign like this --> \ / <--) and making a rather load and annoying raspberry sound :)
Title: Re: Re: history of the flipping the bird
Post by: Ripsnort on May 12, 2004, 03:29:42 PM: Quote
Originally posted by CyranoAH
Obviously yew didn't know Snopes:

http://www.snopes.com/language/apocryph/pluckyew.htm

Daniel

But *who* is verifying snopes authenticity! :confused:
Title: history of the flipping the bird
Post by: CyranoAH on May 12, 2004, 04:21:09 PM: Oh the horror Rip, who is verifying everything we hear in the news?!? :confused: :eek:

Snopes has a reputation. If someone has information that proves that what they say is wrong, they rectify.

Daniel
Title: Re: Re: Re: history of the flipping the bird
Post by: Sandman on May 12, 2004, 04:27:34 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Ripsnort
But *who* is verifying snopes authenticity! :confused:

Sources:
Axtell, Roger E. Gestures: The Do's and Taboos of Body Language Around the World.
New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1991 ISBN 0-471-53672-5 (pp. 33-35).

Keegan, John. The Face of Battle.
New York: Penguin Books, 1978 ISBN 0-140-04897-9 (pp. 78-116).

Opie, Iona and Moira Tatem. A Dictionary of Superstitions.
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992 ISBN 0-19-282916-5 (p. 454.
Title: Re: Re: Re: Re: history of the flipping the bird
Post by: Ripsnort on May 12, 2004, 04:31:30 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Sandman
Sources:
Axtell, Roger E. Gestures: The Do's and Taboos of Body Language Around the World.
New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1991 ISBN 0-471-53672-5 (pp. 33-35).

Keegan, John. The Face of Battle.
New York: Penguin Books, 1978 ISBN 0-140-04897-9 (pp. 78-116).

Opie, Iona and Moira Tatem. A Dictionary of Superstitions.
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992 ISBN 0-19-282916-5 (p. 454.

But who is verifying THESE sources?! :confused:
Title: history of the flipping the bird
Post by: rpm on May 12, 2004, 05:07:04 PM: C'mon Rip. You have reduced yourself to schoolyard arguement tactics now. :rolleyes:
Title: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: history of the flipping the bird
Post by: Sandman on May 12, 2004, 05:09:18 PM: Quote
Originally posted by Ripsnort
But who is verifying THESE sources?! :confused:

Snopes. :p

You're free to refute them if you like. Pack a lunch. I'm betting you'll be awhile.
Title: history of the flipping the bird
Post by: VOR on May 12, 2004, 05:11:52 PM: Keegan, John. The Face of Battle.
New York: Penguin Books, 1978 ISBN 0-140-04897-9 (pp. 78-116).

Excellent read if you're interested in the psychology of warfare and warfighters.
Title: history of the flipping the bird
Post by: Ripsnort on May 12, 2004, 06:54:26 PM: Quote
Originally posted by rpm371
C'mon Rip. You have reduced yourself to schoolyard arguement tactics now. :rolleyes:

WHO is verifying that they're ACTUALLY schoolyard arguement tactics!?:confused:
Title: history of the flipping the bird
Post by: Sandman on May 12, 2004, 10:11:43 PM: It's been too long since I left the schoolyard, so you're on your own. :D
Title: history of the flipping the bird
Post by: Fridaddy on May 13, 2004, 12:06:48 AM: http://abcnews.go.com/sections/us/DailyNews/wolffiles55.html

The First Finger
The first literary reference to The Finger in a 423 B.C. version of Aristophanes’ The Clouds.

Socrates: ... Polite society will accept you if you can discriminate, say, between the martial anapest and common dactylic -- sometimes vulgarly called "finger-rhythm."

Strepsiades: Finger-rhythm? I know that.

Socrates: Define it then.

Strepsiades: [Extending his middle finger] Why it's tapping time with this finger. Of course, when I was a boy [raising his phallus], I used to make rhythm with this one.