Who first showed THE BIRD?

[stoopified]

This question first occured to me after visiting family in Lawton this past weekend.My niece flipped her mother THE BIRD,then all hell broke loose.My Dad says WHERE DID SHE LEARN THAT?My sister ( obviously not thinking clearly)says FROM ME FLIPPING HER DAD OFF.I thought my Dad was going to kill my baby sister(she is 19 years younger than me).Anyhow in the midst of all this I'm thinking I WONDER WHO FIRST USED THIS TIME HONORED HAND GESTURE?I often have odd questions pop into my head at the darndest times.In any case,does anyone know?

[XingTheRubicon]

Ask Robert Wuhl

[stoopified]

You mean Arliss knows?

[frankensooner]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finger_%28gesture%29

[Howzit]

I heard this story somewhere, but can't remember the details. I think the bird came from the French. It was some kind of reference to an enemy's poor archery skills. You see, two fingers are required to draw the bow, and stick up the middle one only siginfied that the enemy couldn't arch fer ****.

Or not.

[SoonerStormchaser]

If I remember, legend has is that, in the middle ages, the English longbowmen used their middle finger as their plucking finger. The French threatened to cut them off if they captured them.

The English retaliated at the Battle of Agincourt by giving their French opponents the first ever one-fingered salute.


And we've been flipping off the French ever since...cause they deserve it!

[stoopified]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finger_%28gesture%29

Wow thanks.All Iever wanted to know about THE BIRD BUT WAS AFRAID TO ASK

[SoonerGirl06]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finger_%28gesture%29

I thought some Dallas driver invented it...

[OCUDad]

If I remember, legend has is that, in the middle ages, the English longbowmen used their middle finger as their plucking finger. The French threatened to cut them off if they captured them.

The English retaliated at the Battle of Agincourt by giving their French opponents the first ever one-fingered salute.


And we've been flipping off the French ever since...cause they deserve it!

The way I heard the story, it was a 2-fingered salute - to show the French they still had both plucking fingers. This is why the British equivalent of the one-finger salute uses two fingers ("V for victory" sign with the back of the hand facing the flippee). Nonetheless, the French deserve to be flipped off with however many fingers you have.

[proud gonzo]

that picture of "the bird" on wikipedia is the worst i've ever seen.

[colleyvillesooner]

You know, giving him the bird!

[Pricetag]

I'm pretty sure Schwartz did it.

[TheHumanAlphabet]

Funny, I first learned of "the bird" in 5th grade. Only it meant "go to hell" according to us (this was Arkansas). It was a year or so later that I learned the other meaning.

Oh, BTW, if you are in Brazil, don't give the okay sign (the thumb and first finger circle with the other three fingers extended). That means the F U as well. I only use the thumbs up sign for okay - that's pretty universal.

[TUSooner]

I'll go with Snopes on this one and say that the maimed archer connection to the Finger and the V is pure BS.

http://www.snopes.com/language/apocryph/pluckyew.htm

The main reason: I have never read in any history book that the French or anybody else ever captured enemy archers and cut off their fingers. The Snopes deal about prisoners and stuff seems reasonable and based on real history, or lack thereof.
The only place I've ever read the "maimed archer" BS is in bogus etymologies - and there are TONS of the crap.

[IB4OU2]

I thought it was the California Howdy?

[BigRedJed]

Wait a minute... ...are you saying Bob Wuhl was wrong?