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 their 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 waved their middle fingers at the defeated
French, saying, "See, we can still pluck yew!" "PLUCK YEW!"
(Today the words often used in conjunction with the one-finger-salute are mistakenly
thought to have something to do with an intimate encounter.) Not so!
It is also because of the pheasant feathers used on the arrows, that the symbolic gesture is
known as "giving the bird".
........And yew all thought yew knew everything!
Doug
