"Flipping the Bird", or "the Finger" as it is also known (among other names), is the act of raising one's middle finger upwards while keeping the rest of the fingers bent at the first joint or curled tight into the palm of the hand. For added expression, the participant should extend the arm to its full length and raise slightly above the shoulder line, perform this movement in one sharp movement to add complete indignation to the gesture. Its name comes from the way the hand forms the shape of an upward-turned bird, but its obscenity comes from the way it resembles a phallus. For added effect, one can Dual Wield the gesture in what is sometimes called the "Double Deuce". Alternatively, it can be further emphasized by simultaneously slapping the other To flip someone off is an insult in most of the Western World, and earliest references of it go all the way to Ancient Greek and Roman writings, where it is referred to as digitus impudicus (the "impudent digit"). Often directed to those in authority in an act of defiance, Flipping the Bird is an easy way to get across complicated emotions in one motion. Also used occasionally by people who are being photographed against their will, and want to ensure the resulting image won't be publishable. Frequently used toward another driver while at the wheel. A known British Commonwealth variation of the gesture is the "two-finger salute", where the index finger is also raised, otherwise known as "making a V-Sign". Distinguished from the (inoffensive) "victory"/"peace" sign by the palm facing inward, away from the target, much as it does for the single-finger equivalent. A popular but apocryphal story about the origin of this version of the gesture involves the 1415 Battle of Agincourt, where the French allegedly boasted they would cut off the bow-fingers of every English longbowman they captured. When the English soundly beat them, their archers supposedly held up their still-intact fingers at the French in defiance. Sometimes the story ends with them shouting "Pluck Yew!" as they did so, denoting what they could still do to their bows. Supposedly this became the familiar expletive now implied by the gesture.note A variety of other gestures are considered obscene in various cultures around the world. Notable gestures include "the fig",note which is vulgar in France, Greece, and some Near East countries, the bras d'honneur or "arm of honor", note which is generally obscene where flipping the bird would be, and the "okay" gesture,note which is offensive in Turkey, Spain, and some South American countries. Even in cartoons where characters have Four-Fingered Hands, it's still possible to flip the bird by singularly elevating the finger between the index and pinky fingers, which is still censored on local and regular cable television. In addition, the gesture will never be referred to by its actual name nor explictly described, often subject to the Narrative Profanity Filter; when implied to occur, it will be referred to as a non-descript "rude gesture". See also Precision F-Strike for the verbal variant.
