Finger (gesture)
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In Western cultures, the finger (as in giving someone the finger) is an obscene hand gesture made by extending the middle finger of the hand while bending the other fingers into the palm. The finger is a silent way of saying "fuck you"[1] or "up yours".[citation needed]
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[edit] Origin
The origin of this gesture is speculative, and quite possibly thousands of years old. It is identified as the digitus impudicus ("impudent finger") in Ancient Roman writings[2] and reference is made to using the finger in the ancient Greek comedy to insult another person. The widespread usage of the finger in many cultures is likely due to the geographical influence of the Roman Empire and Greco-Roman civilization.
Another possible origin of this gesture can be found in the first-century Mediterranean world, where extending the digitus impudicus was one of many methods used to divert the ever present threat of the evil eye.[3]
A popular urban legend states that during the Hundred Years' War, the French would cut off the middle fingers of captured English archers so they would be unable to use their bows, and that after the Battle of Agincourt, the victorious English showed the French that their middle fingers were still intact.[1] This legend is also said of the V sign.
If you wish to politely show someone something on your middle finger (in a part of the world where displaying that finger alone would be rude) there is a specific way to do so.
[edit] Examples
On February 2, 2007, Mirek Topolánek, prime minister of Czech Republic, gave the finger to left-wing deputies in the Czech parliament [4] and later explained the gesture to the media and the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic as a friendly gesture towards Miroslav Kalousek, one of his cabinet ministers.
On July 9, 2003, Philip Wong Yu-hong (Chinese: 黃宜弘), a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong in favor of the unpopular article 23, was seen giving democracy protesters the finger as he left the Legislative Council building.[5][6]
[edit] Other similar obscene gestures
In the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, the V sign (given with back of the hand towards the recipient) serves a similar purpose, although "the finger" is often used.
In Italy, Poland, and countries under the influence of Russian culture (Russia, Belarus, Ukraine), the bent elbow insult is equivalent to The Finger.
In some African and Caribbean countries, a similarly obscene gesture is extending all five digits with the palm facing forward, meaning "you have five fathers" (thus calling someone a bastard).[7]
In India and Pakistan, social circles use the middle finger gesture in the same sense that it is used in western cultures. The same is true for most South Asian countries.[8] However, in Sri Lanka another version of the gesture exists, especially among the social circles not exposed to the western culture. In that version, the index finger is used in a similar manner to mean the same.[citation needed]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Moors, Stephen., Mikkelson, Barbara."Pluck Yew", Snopes.com, September 29, 1999
- ^ Adams, Cecil. "What's the origin of 'the finger'?" Straight Dope, September 4, 1998
- ^ Malina, Bruce J., The New Testament World: Insights from Cultural Anthropology, 3rd Ed., (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2001)
- ^ Blesk.cz | Topolánek ukázal opozici zdvižený prostředník
- ^ Apple Daily, July 10, 2003
- ^ TVB noon news, July 10, 2003
- ^ "What's A-O.K. in the U.S.A. Is Lewd and Worthless Beyond". The New York Times. 1996-08-18. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0DEED61039F93BA2575BC0A960958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all. Retrieved on 2008-04-11.
- ^ http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/3544/gestures.htm
[edit] External links
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Look up the finger in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Extended middle finger |
- Excerpts from the book The Finger: A Comprehensive Guide to Flipping Off
- Perception
- Truth about the Finger
- Free website where users can send "the finger" via ecard (called 'E-Birds'); contains gallery of random individuals giving "the finger"
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