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        Daily Chat >> Funnies and Jokes >> History Lesson
        
(Message started by: tanner on Jun 17^th, 2006, 10:50am)

Title: History Lesson
Post by tanner on Jun 17^th, 2006, 10:50am

Subject: Now you know!

The History of the Middle Finger

Well, now......here's something I never knew before, and now that I

know it, I feel compelled to send it on to my more intelligent friends

in the hope that they, too, will feel edified. Isn't history more fun

when you know something about it?

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 English longbow

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!"

Since 'pluck yew' is rather difficult to say, the difficult consonant

cluster at the beginning has gradually changed to a labiodentals fricative F', and

thus the words often used in conjunction with the middle-finger-salute!

Also, because of pheasant feathers used on the arrows for the longbow,

the pluck yew gesture is also known as "giving the bird."

Because the act of "giving the bird" is usually done in a waving to

and fro motion, it is also known as "flipping the bird."

IT IS STILL AN APPROPRIATE SALUTE TO THE FRENCH TODAY!

Title: Re: History Lesson
Post by tanner on Jun 17^th, 2006, 11:30am

Jonny, How are you sneaking the smileys on to my posts?

................... :o...................tim

Title: Re: History Lesson
Post by Jonny on Jun 17^th, 2006, 11:40am

on 06/17/06 at 11:30:48, tanner wrote:

Jonny, How are you sneaking the smileys on to my posts?

................... :o...................tim

Chewy did it! ;;D

Title: Re: History Lesson
Post by mynm156 on Jun 19^th, 2006, 2:40am

[smiley=laugh.gif]