Yep Andy's correct - we stick two fingers in the air - It was a the Battle of
Agincourt where this supposedly started , when the English triumphed over a
much larger
French army that was badly organised (nothing new there then) . Very few
English died but most of the French nobility were either killed by arrows or
were put to the
sword after being brought down from their horses ! The French knights had
sent a message saying that they would cut off the first two fingers of every
archer's hand
to stop them pulling the bow. The English stuck their fingers in the air to
show the French that they still had them. It was the law (and some say it
still is)
in England that every able bodied man should practise shooting the longbow on
certain Holy Days, hence we were good at it !
Here endeth the History lesson !
Brian Johnson
(Descended from Matthew Hopkinson, Yeoman of South Wingfield Manor (circa
1660))
Andy wrote:
> The English don't wave their middle finger, they flick the "V", the first and
>middle finger, which I think gives your story more credence as those are the
>two fingers
> needed to "Pluck the Yew". The middle finger is American and represents
>something totally different.
> Andy
>
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