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."
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."
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