Fw: History of the Famous Middle Finger
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bill conklin
Jul 29, 2013, 7:37:53 AM7/29/13
to nik, deb, paula vansoest, Colleen conklin, Terre Taylor, Alice Waynick, Mesha Risner, Jeffrey Conklin, Dani Waynick, cur...@googlegroups.com, Shanoah Burns, Bill Taylor, Anne Huber, Rick, Jessie, Carl Waynick, kris VanSoest, Bryan Rizsak, Amy Finley, Rita, Tim
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From: jo conklin <joj...@yahoo.com>
To: DOUG & PAULINE STUTZMAN <stutzma...@gmail.com>; KIM & BRAD CONKLIN <mom2q...@yahoo.com>; BILL & SUE CONKLIN <popng...@yahoo.com>; Tim <timtem...@tc3net.com>; KAREN <karen...@yahoo.com>; "barb_...@yahoo.com" <barb_...@yahoo.com>; Janet Wiesman <wiesma...@gmail.com>
Cc: FRED BOWLES <fred23...@yahoo.com>
Sent: Friday, July 26, 2013 8:22 AM
Subject: Fw: History of the Famous Middle Finger
From: jo conklin <joj...@yahoo.com>
To: DOUG & PAULINE STUTZMAN <stutzma...@gmail.com>; KIM & BRAD CONKLIN <mom2q...@yahoo.com>; BILL & SUE CONKLIN <popng...@yahoo.com>; Tim <timtem...@tc3net.com>; KAREN <karen...@yahoo.com>; "barb_...@yahoo.com" <barb_...@yahoo.com>; Janet Wiesman <wiesma...@gmail.com>
Cc: FRED BOWLES <fred23...@yahoo.com>
Sent: Friday, July 26, 2013 8:22 AM
Subject: Fw: History of the Famous Middle Finger
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: james tipton <jimmy...@yahoo.com>
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Sent: Friday, July 26, 2013 10:04 AM
Subject: Fw: History of the Famous Middle Finger
From: james tipton <jimmy...@yahoo.com>
To:
Sent: Friday, July 26, 2013 10:04 AM
Subject: Fw: History of the Famous Middle Finger
Subject: History of the Famous Middle Finger
Isn't history more fun when you know something about it?
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.
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 they 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 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 every plucking thing…..LOL
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 they 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 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 every plucking thing…..LOL
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