When did the middle finger start to mean what it means now?

Question

And who decided that that's what it means? Why does it mean that? I've wondered this for a long time! lol

Of course I know what it means or I wouldn't have asked WHY...

Answer 1

I heard that it had something to do with a war. One side sent allot of the other guys back badly beaten, and missing a finger. The waving of the finger became an act of defiance to their enemy showing that they still had their fingers. It seems that this question was asked before. This is about as much as I can remember. Have a nice day!

Answer 2

Giving the Finger

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 ne-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."

And yew thought yew knew everything.

Answer 3

I don't know when exactly when the Bird finger started to mean "Hello" but in the med-evil times the middle finger was a sign to the archers to shoot their bows.

Answer 4

I'm not sure on that specific question, but I can tell you why it is called flipping the bird. The middle finger by itself means bird in sign language.

Answer 5

do you really know what it means. an old Jewish saying goes something like the middle finger is the finger of marital bliss. they are right. and that is what it means when you flip someone off with it...F*** you