"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 and saying, “See, we can still pluck yew!”

Over the years some ‘folk etymologies’ have grown up around this portrayed symbolic gesture and verbal utterance.

"PLUCK YEW " ... derivation and evolution. Those of you who you had to gather the feathers used on the arrows for the longbow, were often referred to as a "pleasant mother pheasant plucker”. This jargon and as well the terminology, PLUCK YEW contain a difficult "consonant cluster" which was found to be rather awkwarsd to pronounce. Both terms, and in particular ‘Pluck yew’ have gradually evolved to contain a biodental fricative’F,’ and thus the words often used now 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! "

Uh, Ozzy, it is a joke. LOL




Laugh dammit!!!!