The History of the Middle Finger
Before the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, the French, anticipating victory
over the English, proposed to cut off the middle fingers of all captured
English soldiers. Without the middle finger, the English would not be able
to draw the renowned English longbow and would, therefore, be incapable
of fighting in the future.
The longbow was made of the native English "yew" tree, and the act of
drawing the longbow was called "plucking the yew." To the surprise of
the French, the English won a major upset and began mocking the French
army by waving their middle fingers at them as if to say, "See, we can
still pluck the yew." The shortened "pluck yew" caught on as a cry
of defiance.
Over the years, folk etymologies have grown up around this symbolic
gesture. "Pluck yew" is a little difficult to say (like "mother pheasant
plucker," which is the person to whom you went for the feathers used on the
arrows for the longbow). So the difficult consonant cluster at the
beginning has gradually changed to a labiodental fricative 'F'.
By the way, it is because of the pheasant feathers on the arrows that
the symbolic gesture is also known as "giving the bird."
Before the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, the French, anticipating victory
over the English, proposed to cut off the middle fingers of all captured
English soldiers. Without the middle finger, the English would not be able
to draw the renowned English longbow and would, therefore, be incapable
of fighting in the future.
The longbow was made of the native English "yew" tree, and the act of
drawing the longbow was called "plucking the yew." To the surprise of
the French, the English won a major upset and began mocking the French
army by waving their middle fingers at them as if to say, "See, we can
still pluck the yew." The shortened "pluck yew" caught on as a cry
of defiance.
Over the years, folk etymologies have grown up around this symbolic
gesture. "Pluck yew" is a little difficult to say (like "mother pheasant
plucker," which is the person to whom you went for the feathers used on the
arrows for the longbow). So the difficult consonant cluster at the
beginning has gradually changed to a labiodental fricative 'F'.
By the way, it is because of the pheasant feathers on the arrows that
the symbolic gesture is also known as "giving the bird."