Who Decided That The Middle Finger Shall Be An Obsene Jesture?

Answer 1

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 [soldiers would] 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." 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!"

Over the years some "folk etymologies" have grown up around this symbolic gesture. Since "pluck yew" is rather difficult to say, like "pheasant mother plucker," which is who you had to go to for the feathers used on the arrows for the longbow, 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 that the gesture is known as "giving the bird."

Answer 2

History About The Middle Finger!

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

The middle finger is a derivative of the "Two fingers" that the Brits use. Believe it or not the middle finger is actually French.

Around 1415 in battles between the English and the French such as the Battle of Agincourt. The French liked to cut off the middle finger of captured English archers (the long bow was a formidable weapon for the English). As this practice became more and more popular; the French soldiers would taunt the English my showing them their middle finger. As a counter to this, the English would show them BOTH of their shooting fingers.

And there you have it: both popular taunts created at the same time.

Answer 4

During the bubonic plague, people would raise the middle finger towards the heavens out of there door to would be guests to warn them it was not safe to come indoors as people were infected or dying. Although it has changed it's connotation some over the years, and went from being a helpful go away to a not so polite f off, the middle finger sign has survived.

Answer 5

The origin of this gesture is highly speculative, but is quite possibly up to 2500 years old. It is identified as the digitus impudicus ('impudent finger') in Ancient Roman writings [1] and reference is made to using the finger in the Ancient Greek comedy The Clouds by Aristophanes. It was defined there as a gesture intended to insult another. It has been noted that the gesture resembles an erect penis.[citation needed]

Ancient Romans also considered an image of an erect phallus as a talisman against evil spells. As a consequence, displaying this gesture to another may not have been a pseudo-sexual insult but rather an insulting statement along the lines of—"I'm going to protect myself against your witchcraft, before you even start" but an even earlier reference is made to ancient farmers using this finger to test hens for coming eggs.

Jean Froissart (circa 1337-circa 1404) was a historian and the author of Froissart's Chronicles, a document that is essential to an understanding of Europe in the fourteenth century and to the twists and turns taken by the Hundred Years' War. The story of the English waving their fingers at the French is told in the first person account by Jean Froissart. However, the description is not of an incident at the Battle of Agincourt, but rather at the siege of a castle nearby in the Hundred Years' War. Adding to the evidence is that by all accounts Jean Froissart died before the battle actually took place; it was therefore rather difficult for him to have written about it.

Answer 6

That came from back in the days when people used arrows to shoot at each other. The idea was if you caught the enemy you sliced there middle fingers off so they could not pull back the bow anymore.
The other side would give the enemy the finger to show that they still had it.
I know you are saying to yourself right now that this sounds nuts but it is the truth I promise.

Answer 7

I don't know that battle of or famous weapon or bubonic whatever...but that middle finger shall be an obsene jesture the one who pointing it.

Answer 8

A dominant person in society that though the gesture of a middle finger stuck out means or symbolizes something obcene

Answer 9

In the UK they use the first two fingers thrown up into a V with the knuckles facing the reciever...there's no telling who invented it or the American version with one finger but I am pretty sure what the fingers are intended for...it's telling you to put them somewhere potentially uncomfortable...lol

Answer 10

Some weirdo along long time ago...and maybe Its mathematical, the middle finger is...well..middle...if it were the other fingers, it would be out of balance, so it was a mathematician who did this!