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| Posted By | Discussion Topic: Pluck Yew! | ||||
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| Joey1120 SHOW ME MULE!!!! | posted on 02-04-2002 @ 1:32 PM |    | |||
| Psychopath Registered: Jan. 02  | Hi. I don't have anything to really bitch about right now (think I got it out in other posts), but I did come across this interesting look at F-U: ------------ Before the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, the French, anticipating victory over the English, proposed to cut off the middle fingers of all captured English soldiers. Without the middle finger, the Brits would not be able to draw the renowned English longbow, and therefore would be incapable of fighting in the future. The longbow was made of the native English Yew tree, and the act of drawing the longbow was called "plucking the yew". To the surprise of the French, the English won a major upset, and began mocking the French army by waving their middle fingers at them as if to say, "See, we can still pluck yew." The shortened "Pluck yew" caught on as a cry of defiance. Over the years some folk etymologies have grown up around this symbolic gesture. "Pluck yew" is a little difficult to say (like "mother pheasant plucker", which is who you had to go to for the feathers used on the arrows for the longbow). So the difficult consonant cluster at the beginning has gradually changed to a labiodental fricative 'F'. Isn't it amazing that today the famous words often used in conjunction with the one-finger salute are mistakenly thought to have something to do with an intimate encounter! By the way, it is because of the pheasant feathers on the arrows that the symbolic gesture is also known as "giving the bird". ---------------------- Joey (#10 in the Naughtiest Nightie Contest) [email protected] http://junior.apk.net/~jcarman/index.html | ||||
| Brokenjaw Always will bow down to the power of the Faceman!!!! | posted on 02-04-2002 @ 2:42 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Regular Registered: Nov. 00 | I can make a spit yo-yo. | ||||
| Joey1120 SHOW ME MULE!!!! | posted on 02-04-2002 @ 2:45 PM | | |||
| Psychopath Registered: Jan. 02 | How many stretches can you get out of one glob of saliva and snot? Joey (#10 in the Naughtiest Nightie Contest) Email Me Visit my Site | ||||
| IkeaBoy P.L.F. Portugese Liberation Front- Liberating Status' everywhere from the Tyranny of Portugal I will die a traitor's death | posted on 02-04-2002 @ 2:45 PM | | |||
| O&A Board Veteran Registered: Sep. 00 | quote:don't you know only asian foreign exchange students can master this art?  "It appears my wee wee has been strucken with rigor mortis." I've purchased illegal substances once- i guess i caused the death of a baby- i wish i could have killed that fucker with my own hands | ||||
Displaying 1-4 of 4 messages in this thread. |