What DOES the 'middle finger' even mean?

Question

Who the heck made it up and why do people take it so offensivley?

Answer 1

The 'middle finger' basically means to F-U. It came from people a long time ago. An urban legend states that during the Hundred Years' War, the French would cut English archers middle fingers so that they could not shoot a bow. So during the Battle of Agincourt the English would show their middle fingers to show that their middle finger was still intact.

Answer 2

well in the u.s the middle finger means **** you.. but in other countries it may mean something totally different

Answer 3

Chuck you Farley

Answer 4

It means F*** you.

Although I'm not sure if this is true.....

It came about during a war (Hundred Yrs War, I think). Well anyway one side had excellent archers, so when the other side would catch their men they would cut off the finger they used to pull back their bow (the middle finger). Then to make them mad when they saw men from that side in battle they would put up their middle finger in mockery. Eventually is just became what it is today.

Answer 5

Seven PM is correct. The thrust of the 'Phallic Finger of Fate' has been around since the French began the tradition.

Answer 6

It means "f*** you". I don't know how it was made up...

Answer 7

Actually it hasn't been around "forever" ... the use of the middle finger as "f- you" was only started in the 1950s, after people had done a thourough investigation to the use of fingers, toes and other senses

Answer 8

its cause it means "f**k you."

thats why! duhhh lol j/k

//kayla//

Answer 9

It is meant to be offensive. The middle finger with the two fingers on either side represent the male genetalia.

It means F*ck you.

Answer 10

F**k you and its just something that's been around forever

Answer 11

It's called "middle finger" because It's between four fingers (two on one side and the other).

I don't know how did it started to be offensive. But It's often used to represent a p***s (one erected middle finger with the ones on his sides curled down in the fashion of "balls").

And since showing a naked p***s around is against morals, go figure... That's what I noticed all this time and maybe the only certain "thing" I can relate it to...

Answer 12

the bird  F***k you

Answer 13

Well, i herd a story :

I know you herd of Columbus disovering America and all that right?. Well you know how the Indians were masacred or forced to join their religion.

There is this story that says they would cut off the middle finger of the indians so that they couldn't use their bow and arrows against them. Then one day some of Columbus's men were ambushed by some indians who had onced escaped  and before the indians killed them they lifted their middle fingers so that the men could know that they still had them and were going to use the bow and arrows to kill them!!!!!

and that is how the middle finger started, what it means-well i guess it was a statement saying "I have the ability to kill you now."..lol

but really its just a tale.