Subject: History of the Middle Finger

An interesting history lesson!

The History Of The Middle Finger

Well, now......here's something I never knew before, and now
that I know it, I feel compelled to send it on to my more
intelligent friends in the hope that they, too, will feel edified.
Isn't history more fun when you know something about it?

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."

And yew thought yew knew every plucking thing

Sadie-
Thanks I needed the comic relief after drudging thru derrion’s crap.
APL