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| DaDnDe 2004-02-18, 1:07 am |
| I dont know if this is true, but it sounds strange enough to be...
A brief history of "the finger"
In the current film, Titanic, the character Rose is shown giving the finger to her fiancé's manservant (another character). Many people who have seen the film question whether "giving the finger" was really done around during the time of the Titanic disaster, or if it is a more recent gesture invented by some defiant seventh-grader.
And now you know the rest of the story... According to research, here's the true story:
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! | |
| prezbedard 2004-02-18, 1:35 am |
| Ya know the story but over there its the index and middle finger that is equal to our flipping the middle finger.
Now if any of our English or French friends care to clarify... | |
| DaDnDe 2004-02-18, 1:58 am |
| well i dont know how true this story is and i really dont care. it is reality better than fiction i guess.
try reading it out loud, its hilarious...
its like the story of how F@#$ was coined
that story started back in the dark ages, when because the economy was so bad, the king started controling the birth rates to prevent children from being born that would eventually starve to death. he also wanted physically strong parents to breed more in hopes of creating a strong labor force.
so there fore the word was coined to signify procreation with permission or... (drumroll)
Fornication
Under
Consent of the
King | |
| prezbedard 2004-02-18, 2:07 am |
| interesting... | |
| peterd 2004-02-18, 4:03 am |
| Hello,
interesting story but unfortunately incorrect on a point or two...
the French were said to have cut off the first two fingers from the right hand of any captured English bowmen. So before any battle the English bowmen were said to have raised two fingers in the form of a 'V' to show the French that they were in for some serious punishment.
And the feathers used on the arrows were goose feathers.
As for the king controlling the birth-rate...it could never happen! Most of the time in the middle ages we had insufficient population. It was in the best interests of all of the 'Barons' to that their 'people' should have as many children as possible.
There was no economy as such, not much trade going on with anywhere else. Everyone in most countries lived off their own land by their own efforts with a small amount of surplus (if they were lucky) going for trade at their local markets.
I've always thought that the 'one finger salute' was purely American. It may well have been in use at the time of the Titanic as by then you had aquired a little history behind you... :-)
Regards
Peter | |
| azimuth40 2004-02-18, 4:15 am |
| quote:
Originally posted by DaDnDe
well i dont know how true this story is and i really dont care. it is reality better than fiction i guess.
try reading it out loud, its hilarious...
its like the story of how F@#$ was coined
that story started back in the dark ages, when because the economy was so bad, the king started controling the birth rates to prevent children from being born that would eventually starve to death. he also wanted physically strong parents to breed more in hopes of creating a strong labor force.
so there fore the word was coined to signify procreation with permission or... (drumroll)
Fornication
Under
Consent of the
King
Not likely since the first word by most definitions means outside of marriage and generally associated with adultery.
I always heard it as Fornication Under(or Unlawful) Carnal Knowledge. While not an offense in common law in ecclesiastical courts it had harsh punishment. In later years in Americas New England people said that they were forced by the evils of witchcraft to avoid things like water dunking or other things that could easily cause death or dismemberment. | |
| DaDnDe 2004-02-18, 6:17 am |
| well, i generally dont post items unless ive verified its info in at least two separate places.
so that is why i said that i didnt know the validity of the article.
iow, if there was a joke or misc forum here, then thats where it would have gone | |
| prezbedard 2004-02-18, 10:17 am |
| quote:
Originally posted by peterd
Hello,
interesting story but unfortunately incorrect on a point or two...
the French were said to have cut off the first two fingers from the right hand of any captured English bowmen. So before any battle the English bowmen were said to have raised two fingers in the form of a 'V' to show the French that they were in for some serious punishment.
Regards
Peter
Well I'm glad I was correct on that count. | |
| peterd 2004-02-19, 3:59 am |
| Hello,
of course, if the king had wanted to be an awkward git and confuse the French, he could have employed left-handed bowmen...
Regards
Peter | |
| enforcer 2004-02-19, 6:00 am |
| quote:
Originally posted by peterd
Hello,
of course, if the king had wanted to be an awkward git and confuse the French, he could have employed left-handed bowmen...
Regards
Peter
But then he would have had to change the whole manufacturing plant, so as they could supply Longbows suitable for left handed bowmen  | |
| JohnDeere 2004-02-19, 7:27 pm |
| I would have imagined they would have sent them to the people that convert cups-for-right-handed-people into cups-for-left-handed-people. | |
| peterd 2004-02-20, 3:59 am |
| Hi Guys,
maybe they could just turn their bows over?
What about left-handed arrows? Would they spiral anti-clockwise?
Regards
Peter | |
| DaDnDe 2004-02-20, 4:13 am |
| if you turn the bows around, then the arrow will fly backwards...
besides arrows have feathers because they help the arrow to fly straighter. if the arrow had spin on it like a bullet, then the feathers would be unnecessary. | |
| afalbrig 2004-02-22, 4:50 pm |
| The middle finger gesture likely dates back at least to the Roman Empire, where it was referred to as "the impudent finger". So I'd find the story of its origins after the battle to be rather suspect.
As for the "F word", that's likely -- according to some sources -- of Dutch origin. The stories about royal proclamations (and there is another) are, IMHO, baloney. For a more thorough analysis, see http://www.braxtonian.com/2003/03/11/etymology_XXXX.php | |
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| bearing 2004-02-23, 3:48 am |
| quote:
Originally posted by afalbrig
The middle finger gesture likely dates back at least to the Roman Empire, where it was referred to as "the impudent finger". So I'd find the story of its origins after the battle to be rather suspect.
The battle part refers to not the 'middle finger gesture' but the traditional British two fingered salute. | |
| peterd 2004-02-23, 3:56 am |
| Hello,
just as the spin on a bullet helps it to travel straighter, an arrow can be made to spin for the same reason.
Rather than have the flight feathers in line with the arrow shaft they can be angled slightly and this will cause the arrow to spin.
Regards
Peter | |
| enforcer 2004-02-23, 4:46 am |
| ever watched a dart travel in flight? | |
| azimuth40 2004-02-23, 6:24 pm |
| quote:
Originally posted by enforcer
ever watched a dart travel in flight?
Not a good idea. If you don't dart out of the way you will only get to watch its flight twice, once for each eye.  | |
| bearing 2004-02-25, 4:28 am |
| quote:
Originally posted by enforcer
ever watched a dart travel in flight?
I doubt you'd be allowed to play darts on a plane these days. | |
| enforcer 2004-02-25, 4:40 am |
| quote:
Originally posted by bearing
I doubt you'd be allowed to play darts on a plane these days.
I was thinking more airship. | |
| DaDnDe 2004-02-25, 10:49 am |
| actually, being a avid dart player and former league member of the Thurston County soft tip double-double cricket league, i can say that watching a dart in flight is very poor form and your score is sure to suffer. |
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