The Finger
Note: The actual origins of this bit of history/folklore are still not
clear, but evidence suggests that the source may be Click and Clack: The
Tappet Brothers (a.k.a. Tom and Ray Maggliozzi) the hosts of "Car Talk"
on NPR. (Really.)
- editor
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!"
Since 'pluck yew' is rather difficult to say,
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 used with the longbow that the
symbolic gesture is known as "giving the bird".
