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I don't know if the following story is true, but it sounds as if it might =
be.
Maybe some of our English listers can set it right.
Gary Bouffard (my family left France a long time ago around late1600's,
something to do with finger pointing)
<<
History of Giving the Finger...
=A0 In the current film, Titanic, the character Rose is shown giving the
Finger to Jack (another character). Many people who have seen the film
question whether 'giving the finger' was done around the time of the
Titanic disaster, or was it a more recent gesture invented by some
defiant seventh-grader. =A0According to research, here's the true
story:
=A0 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').
=A0 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!' =A0
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. =A0 It is also because of
the pheasant feathers on the arrows that the symbolic gesture is known
as 'giving the bird'. =A0And yew all thought yew knew everything!
>>
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From: DLynn1196@aol.com
Return-path: <DLynn1196@aol.com>
To: Gbouff1@aol.com
Subject: FROM YOUR WIFE...
Date: Sun, 21 Feb 1999 21:48:28 EST
History of Giving the Finger...
=A0 In the current film, Titanic, the character Rose is shown giving the
Finger to Jack (another character). Many people who have seen the film
question whether 'giving the finger' was done around the time of the
Titanic disaster, or was it a more recent gesture invented by some
defiant seventh-grader. =A0According to research, here's the true
story:
=A0 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').
=A0 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!' =A0
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. =A0 It is also because of
the pheasant feathers on the arrows that the symbolic gesture is known
as 'giving the bird'. =A0And yew all thought yew knew everything!
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