Follow-up to previous post

"Etymologists say fuck found its way into the English language from Dutch or Low German during the 14th century and made its first written appearance around 1500. The word pluck, on the other hand, is of Latin derivation and there is no known linguistic connection between the two English words. It's doubtful the expression "Pluck yew" was ever uttered before 1996, when this apocryphal story first went into circulation online.

The middle-finger gesture, which has apparently had phallic connotations in every culture in which it has been used, is much older. We know it dates back to ancient Greece, at least, where it was referenced in "The Clouds," a play written by Aristophanes in 423 B.C. It was also well known to the Romans, who referred to it variously as digitus infamis ("infamous finger") and digitus impudicus ("indecent finger"). In all likelihood its origins were prehistoric. "

Source: About.com
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Yup Bert's V-sign comment is historically accurate I think. Last time English longbowmen really sibeh zai, I think one longbow weigh about 50-60kg liddat then those trained archers will have some permanent deformities in the shape of the arms or something. The use of longbow was eventually phased out because of heavily armoured knights and gunpowder.