2007-03-15 19:57:52 · 4 answers · asked by narlah 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
It goes back to the 100 years war. At some point during the war the French were really angry that the English archers were so good. So they started to cut of the middle finger of those archers they caught.
Giving the one finger salut was the English answer to this. It was supposed to be a sign of defiance.
2007-03-15 20:06:08 · answer #1 · answered by ak2005ok 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋
The first and third posters have it wrong.
They have a modern urban legend version of the story, which the myth-evaluating site snopes.com has commented on.
The historical myth, and just possible truth, refers to the uniquely English TWO-finger salute displaying, to the defeated French initially, *both* bow fingers.
The single finger salute or insult is thousands of years old, so predates Agincourt and Crecy by some way. The "digitus infamis" or "digitus impudicus" (infamous or indecent finger) is mentioned several times in the literature of ancient Rome. It had the same basic sexual connotation then.
2007-03-16 04:14:36 · answer #2 · answered by Pedestal 42 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I don't know...but like the SMILE...the "1 finger salute" is recognized and understood all over the world
2007-03-16 03:06:51 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
ak2005 answer is the most common believed adding to it why it means what it does the act of drawing an arrow back is to pluck it. And so when giving the salute they would call out " Pluck you" or so the story goes....
2007-03-16 03:15:42 · answer #4 · answered by mrpeg422 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋