digehode

@digehode@lemmy.world

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Anthropology⁩ ⁨⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  Ah, I see. We don’t tend to put it to the mouth. It’s more “fuck you”. Apparently comes from demonstrating to the French that you still have your bow-drawing fingers and intend to use them. British archers captured by the french would have their first two fingers removed to prevent them launching arrows.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Anthropology⁩ ⁨⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  In the UK two fingers up is a rude gesture and it comes from battles with the french. If they caught a British archer they removed those fingers so they couldn’t fire a bow. So sticking them up at the enemy and gesturing was showing they had them and would use them to fire arrows at them. I am not an historian, though, and this could just be one of those tales that sounds so true everyone believes it and passes it on.

• ⁨Comment⁩ on ⁨Anthropology⁩ ⁨⁨6⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩:

  We do? Can you describe the gesture? Maybe it’s so ingrained I don’t even recognise it. Or I need to learn it. Then I can use it at everyone today.