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Geek Culture / Pluck Yew!

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Pincho Paxton
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Posted: 24th Apr 2004 17:46
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HISTORY OF THE MIDDLE FINGER

This is supposed to be true!!!

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 say 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."

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CattleRustler
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Posted: 24th Apr 2004 17:49
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I don't know where the hand gestures come from but is the full term f-u supposed to mean Fornication Under the Consent of the King?



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David T
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Posted: 24th Apr 2004 19:07
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"To do is to be" - Descartes
"To be is to do" - Voltaire
"Do be do be do" - Frank Sinatra
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Fallout
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Posted: 24th Apr 2004 21:40
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I believe the middle finger bit, but the pluck yew bit sounds a bit like someone was trying to prove something by making things up.

Signature? No! Obsolete! These days it's all about chip and pin!
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HZence
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Posted: 24th Apr 2004 22:27
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Yeah, I always though the middle finger repesented a penis, you raising it was the "action", and then the f*ck you part just kinda topped it off.

I don't believe that story. Lol.


Team EOD :: Programmer/Storyboard Assistant
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Jonny_S
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Posted: 24th Apr 2004 22:41
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I've heard that somewhere before.........sounds more realistic then the version Hzence came up with lol.

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Karlos
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Posted: 24th Apr 2004 22:59
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i heard that the french used to cut off 2 fingers - thus the english gave the v-sign to show to the french that they still had their aiming fingers

don't know about the plucking


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CattleRustler
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Posted: 24th Apr 2004 23:11 Edited at: 24th Apr 2004 23:11
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yes the finger is a rep for the peenie, and the up action reps the action of the real deed. In arabic nations the gesture is the same but they use the thumb - thats why when our troops go through the streets of Iraq and people are all giving them "The Thumbs Up" with a smile, and the soldiers are "thumbs-upping back" what is really being said is.... well you figure it out.

poor soldiers


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Fallout
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Posted: 25th Apr 2004 04:18
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Yeah, Karlos is right. English peeps use two fingers as well, which is funny, cos my ex girlfriend was canadian and oblivious to the V sign, so I used that to great affect. That'd make more sense actually - the french cutting off those two fingers, and hence the sign.

I guess the story was adapted for americans who only use the middle finger.

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Dave J
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Posted: 25th Apr 2004 04:49
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Quote: "I believe the middle finger bit, but the pluck yew bit sounds a bit like someone was trying to prove something by making things up."


That's basically what I thought as well when I read it. The "pluck yew" bit sounds a bit far-fetched.


"Computers are useless they can only give you answers."
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Night Giant
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Posted: 25th Apr 2004 06:18
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i believe the part about the arrows and the middle finger, i think i heard it on the history channel some time ago. the "pluck yew" part i don't believe so much. I believe the term "f-ck" used to mean to bore a hole in a piece of wood, so you can figure out for yourself how it got to it's present meaning, much like the term "screw" i suppose.

oh, wow. insignificantpunks.cjb.net. we like orange treble clef notes, just for future reference.

no: website for progs yet.
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Kharnor
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Posted: 25th Apr 2004 06:26
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i thought the "f-word" originally stood for "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" - they shortened it to four letters so it would fit onto the sign they put above the rapist's head when they crucified him. or something.

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HZence
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Posted: 25th Apr 2004 06:28
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Quote: "sounds more realistic then the version Hzence came up with lol."


That's ironic considering my version is the right one!


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Preston C
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Posted: 25th Apr 2004 07:11
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Quote: "I don't know where the hand gestures come from but is the full term f-u supposed to mean Fornication Under the Consent of the King?
"


Cattle Rustler is right, back in the olden days (around the time of the black death...or something like that) one had to be married and had to register in order to have a child (or have sex if I'm correct). Fornication Under the Consent of the King was a sign they would put at the door of the couples house which meant they were certified to have a child and...well...do it.

As for the middle finger bow arrow thingy, thats also the truth by what I've heard, but...

Quote: "i thought the "f-word" originally stood for "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" - they shortened it to four letters so it would fit onto the sign they put above the rapist's head when they crucified him. or something.
"


Ya never know, maybe in other kingdoms thats what they did. But I prefer the registered baby making thing to that though.

Oh well, thats what I've learned, and I've only just remembered it when this thread was posted, gotta love having had the music teacher that was facinated about those times in my intermediate school years

Cheers,
Preston


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the_winch
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Posted: 25th Apr 2004 17:23 Edited at: 25th Apr 2004 17:25
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http://www.snopes.com/language/apocryph/pluckyew.htm
http://makeashorterlink.com/?N27535696
http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl-f-word.htm

you ain't the cops
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Dave J
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Posted: 25th Apr 2004 17:35
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Fascinating.


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jrowe
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Posted: 25th Apr 2004 17:41
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Fallout's right, it was for two fingers and that's probably also the reason why Britain is the only country in the world to do it. (not sure if they do it in Australia etc but if they do it's because they used to be British Protectorates.)


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Maelstrom
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Posted: 25th Apr 2004 17:55 Edited at: 25th Apr 2004 23:50
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From the BBC website

Quote: "During the Hundred Years' War between France and England, the English longbow archers proved decisive.

So adept were they at decimating the enemy's ranks, that captured English archers supposedly had their index and middle fingers amputated to prevent them ever taking up their bows again.

On the battlefield, English archers responded to this custom by offering the French a jeering two-finger salute before employing their bow fingers to more deadly effect. "


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BatVink
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Posted: 25th Apr 2004 18:21
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It is definitely the 2-fingered salute, the bow was drawn with 2 fingers, one either side of the arrow tail.

This isn't what won them the war though, those that had their fingers cut off were already captives. The decider was the stakes in the ground that allowed the English to stop the French cavalry dead in their tracks. The French put all their eggs (or oeufs, as they like to call them) in one basket, assuming the English were defenceless against their cavalry.

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Ian T
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Posted: 25th Apr 2004 21:59
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Obviously a joke. Isn't the meaning of the gesture rather obvious? As for the origins of the word, why not read the large document written up by an attorney on the origins of the word on thesmokinggun!

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