Pluck Yew!

[Bill Glasheen]

Folks:

Thanks to Darcey Frana for sending this to me. You might like to know this is not an urban legend. Actually there is a professor Dan Roberts of University of Richmond that does a radio show entitled A Moment in Time that makes it to many of the NPR syndicates. On one of his shows, he spoke of this famous battle, and the defiant "salute" that was given after the English victory over the French. On another thread, a fellow by the name of Ed gave this salute while in France, and wondered later on if it was universal. Now yew know!

- Bill

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The History of Giving Someone 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 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 pluck yew!

PLUCK YEW! Over the years some 'folk etymologies' have grown up around this symbolic gesture. Since 'pluck yew' is rather difficult to say (like "pleasant mother pheasant plucker", which is who you had to go to for the feathers used on the arrows for the longbow), 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 are mistakenly thought to have something to do with an intimate encounter. It is also because of the pheasant feathers on the arrows that the symbolic gesture is known as "giving the bird".

And yew thought yew knew everything.


[This message has been edited by Bill Glasheen (edited 11-04-99).]

[Bill Glasheen]

It seems there is indeed debate on this topic.

Ed sends me the following <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Here's a link to a great site that exposes this particular urban myth (to add my $.02 or .10 francs, the English do not use the middle finger as an obscene gesture; rather, they'll stick out their middle and index finger-- like a reverse peace sign. I know this because I saw the Full Monty on DVD. Unlike forwarded e-mails, movies never lie)
http://snopes.com/spoons/faxlore/pluckyew.htm
In addition, this site chronicles Harvey's now famous Hominid letter.
http://snopes.com/spoons/faxlore/smithson.htm <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

How interesting...

I do indeed remember hearing the radio show A Moment in Time where Dan Roberts told the story of this battle. But Dan only mentioned that they employed a gesture. From the sounds of the program, I thought it was the "V" or Victory sign. When I came upon this piece, I second-guessed my original assumption. Dangerous...should have checked it out. The plot thickens.

I shall contact Dan Roberts to get the full story.

- Bill

P.S. By the way, Harvey Rowe works for me, and wrote the original Malibu Barbie piece that has become urban legend. Harvey is a physician who gave up practice and went back to school to get another carreer. While in grad school in South Carolina, he wrote Malibu Barbie, and the rest is history.

[Bill Glasheen]

I got Dan Robert's phone mail and left a message. We shall see....

- Bill