THE DRUNK ARAB
Zen Arcade
- Joined
- 7/8/03
- Messages
- 2,127
- Reaction score
- 8
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 they 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"
(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! 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
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 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! 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
h34r:
