When we where involved in
another group there seemed to always be some problem coming up
that would make several of use hand jesters. Our own Mr.
Thompson was very fast to do so as tempers rose several
degrees. That said, I by accident found some interesting facts
about such actions.
Recently a friend sent
me this information about one universal hand sign. Well, now
...... here's something I did not remember or possibly never
knew before, and now that I know it, I felt compelled to send
it on to my more learned friends in the hope that they,
too, will feel informed.
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
English longbow 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! Since 'pluck yew' is rather difficult to say,
the difficult consonant cluster at the beginning has gradually
changed to a labiodentals 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.'
IT IS STILL AN APPROPRIATE SALUTE TO THE FRENCH EVEN TODAY!
And yew thought yew knew every plucking thing.
