March 21, 2005

How many fingers?

"... 'I have my rights' has become the verbal equivalent to putting two fingers up at authority," says the UK's Michael Howard. (Judging from context, this is a notion that bothers him.)

Now, one finger I'd understand. We have that here. But wotzis about two? An adaptation of the Churchill thing?

Posted by Martha Bridegam at March 21, 2005 02:23 PM
Comments

The two-fingered salute has been a staple of British physical insults for over 60 years.

Posted by: Alan Allport at March 21, 2005 04:26 PM

Thx for the BBC article. It's bringing something dimly to mind about an alternate medieval explanation involving the arrow fingers of poachers being cut -- which would make the display of two intact fingers a taunt to milord's gamekeeper, I suppose?

Posted by: Martha Bridegam at March 21, 2005 05:59 PM

I think it's safe to say that all stories about the origins of the V-sign come out of the 'bollocks' folder.

Posted by: Alan Allport at March 21, 2005 06:05 PM

For a time during the 1970s, some people used to use the term 'Harvey Smith' for the rude version of the sign.

See: http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/august/15/newsid_2534000/2534107.stm

It was partly Smith's Yorkshire origins that made it seem grittily controversial. Mick Travis does one to one of the school 'whips' [= prefects] in the film *If*.

Posted by: Tom Deveson at March 22, 2005 11:13 AM

So it means both "up yours" and "I have my rights"?

Posted by: Martha Bridegam at March 22, 2005 03:42 PM

This is what it means:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-1524886,00.html

Posted by: Airbrushed by the Commissars at March 23, 2005 02:09 AM

The V sign is basically a "fuck you" symbol and has been in use for a long time although I'm not sure about the veracity of the Agincourt origin myth.

Sadly, the sight of a "swivel on it" single finger gesture is becoming more common due to the influence of American culture on British culture. On the plus side, the V sign provided another way for Whedon to dodge censorship in Buffy by having the British characters using British swear words and the V sign.

Posted by: Mags at March 25, 2005 04:37 AM