The history behind the rude gesture of giving ‘the fingers’ or V-sign
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Ever wondered why is it we give the V-sign, often referred to as ‘the fingers’? The commonly used offensive gesture is formed by holding up a hand with the middle and index finger upright in a V shape. The back of the hand must always face outwards. The rude gesture, which in essence means ‘f@ck you’, or something similar, is quintessentially British. Studies have shown that as late as the 1970s, the sign was not recognised outside of the British Isles.
An Ancient Act
British folklore claims that the act of giving the V-sign dates as far back as 1415. This is when English longbowmen first made the rude gesture at the Battle of Agincourt. The story goes that the French enemy very much feared the effectiveness of the English archers. Thus, they had vowed that they would chop off the two fingers needed to draw a bow-string of any captured longbowmen. Archers within the English ranks then began to raise the identified two-fingers in a blatant gesture of defiance against the French. There is no actual documented evidence of the time to support the gesture being used. However, illustrations and tapestries of the period, do appear to show the V-sign being made.
It’s said by some that the gesture almost died out in the late Middle Ages. This is was at a time when society was gradually becoming more polite. The first unequivocal documented evidence of the V-sign being used in the UK only surfaced in 1901. This was made by a worker outside Parkgate ironworks in Rotherham. The man was captured on film using the gesture to indicate that he did not want to be filmed. A book by Iona and Peter Opie, ‘The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren’ first published in 1959, had over 5,000 documented interviews with children. The book revealed at that time, the V-sign was the most common insulting gesture used in the playground.
Under Threat?
The Americans now have a figure gesture that is formed by holding up the middle digit alone. Its meaning is more or less equivalent to the British version. It is gradually been introduced to UK culture, along with many other countries, through the powerful influence of the media. Thus, it would now seem that even our rudest of traditions is seriously under threat of being replaced by its American counterpart.
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