• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Language / Who Invented the Rude Anglo-Saxon One-Fingered Salute and Where Did the Gesture Come From?

Who Invented the Rude Anglo-Saxon One-Fingered Salute and Where Did the Gesture Come From?

June 28, 2020 by Karen Hill

When the outnumbered English faced the French at the Battle of Agincourt, they were armed with a relatively new weapon, the longbow.

The French were so amused that they vowed to cut off the middle finger of each British archer.

When the longbows won the day, the English jeered the retreating French by raising that middle finger in a gesture that still means, among other things, “in your face.”

Related Facts

  • Who Invented the Two-Fingered Peace Sign and Where Did the Gesture Come From?
  • Who Invented Giving Someone “The Bird” or the Middle Finger Gesture and How Did it Originate?
  • Top 25 Inventions That Changed Our Lives Forever
  • What is an Anglo and Where do Anglo Americans come from?
  • Which Explorers First Explored the Continents of the World?
  • Where does the expression “drawing a longbow” come from and What does it mean?

Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Who Invented the Two-Fingered Peace Sign and Where Did the Gesture Come From?
Next Post: Why Do Christians Put Their Hands Together When They Pray and How Did the Custom Originate? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy