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Gesticulating in public

To: british-cars@autox.team.net
Subject: Gesticulating in public
From: daniel@human-genetics-unit.mrc.ac.uk
Date: Fri, 4 Mar 94 15:46:46 GMT
Hullo People,

Doug "I'm too new to the net to come up with a clever sign-off. 
          But I'm thinking...."  Phillips writes:

>    And now for a bit of trivia. I understand the obscene jesture used by 
> American drivers (but NEVER by the SOL), involves the use of a middle digit. 
> In the U.K. the same gesture involves other finger(s). Which are....?

Marcus 'Aren't those British SOooooooo cute' Tooze

> The classic british response to an idiot in a hottted up Ford Capri or MKI
> Escort (the british versions, NB, the person whos driving is usually 17 years
> old) cutting you up is the 'V for Victory sign' reversed, carried out
> by propelling the fist with the two (index and middle) fingers extended,
> straight upwards, in the direction of the crappy Escort (or whatever).
> You can sometimes catch this gesture on re-runs of 'Are You Being Served'
> on PBS most nights (10pm CST, 7.30pm(?)EST)....when Mrs. Slocum (yes, thats
> her name), is pissed off with Cpt. Peacock.

Marcus 'Aren't those British SOooooooo cute' Tooze

Well we like to think so :-) Just to add to the confusion, Winston Churchill
used to give the V for victory side in what is now considered the rude way
(or maybe he just had a bad attitude?)

"putting two fingers up" at someone has an interesting historical source.
Apparently in one of the many wars between England and France the French
King threatened to cut the first two fingers off any captured English
archers (these being used to draw the string). The waving of these two fingers
then became used as a taunt against the French by the English. History, you
want history? We got history :-)

lBc content... ummm 10" wheels, 998cc, they don't come much littler!

Oh - bit more - "over here" we have a yearly MOT for older vehicles which
tests basic roadworthiness. This has recently been revamped to include an
emissions test and has certainly taken at least one old crock off the roads
and into the scrap yards (sob, sob). This seams a more reasonable way of
reducing emissions than simply focussing on old cars. Of course there are 
rumours that the EEC is thinking of banning cars over a certain age and also
banning scrapyards. Why can't these well meaning beurocrats just *%#@-off
at leave us alone?

Daniel.



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