Examine individual changes

'[[Image:The gesture02.jpg|upright|thumb|120px|The finger]] In [[Western culture]], '''the finger''' (as in '''giving someone the finger''' or '''the bird'''<ref name="Kipfer"/>), also known as '''the finger wave''', '''the middle finger''', '''flipping someone off''',<ref name=Kipfer/> or '''the one finger salute''' is an obscene hand [[gesture]], often meaning the phrases "fuck off" or "fuck you". It is performed by showing the back of a closed fist that has only the [[middle finger]] extended upwards, though in some locales the thumb is also extended. Extending the finger is considered a universal symbol of contempt. Many cultures use similar gestures to display their disrespect The gesture dates back to [[Ancient Greece]] and was also used in [[Ancient Rome]]. Historically, it represented the [[phallus]]. In some modern cultures, it has gained increasing acceptance as a sign of disrespect, and has been used by music artists, athletes, and politicians. However, many still view the gesture as obscene.. ==Origin== ===Classical era=== The middle finger originated in [[Ancient Greece]], where the gesture was used as a symbol of [[anal intercourse]] in a manner meant to degrade, intimidate and threaten the individual receiving the gesture.<ref name="sanjose"/> It also represented the [[phallus]], with the fingers next to the middle finger representing [[testicle]]s;<ref name=offensive/> from its close association, the gesture may have assumed [[Apotropaic magic|apotropaic]] potency.<ref name="Corbeill"/> In the 1st-century [[Mediterranean]] world, extending the ''finger'' was one of many methods used to divert the ever-present threat of the [[evil eye]].<ref name="The New Testament World: Insights from Cultural Anthropology"/> [[File:Jean-Léon Gérôme - Diogenes - Walters 37131.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The [[Cynicism (philosophy)|Cynic philosopher]] [[Diogenes of Sinope|Diogenes]], pictured by [[Jean-Léon Gérôme|Gérôme]] with the large jar in which he lived; when strangers at the inn were expressing their wish to catch sight of the great orator [[Demosthenes]], Diogenes is said to have stuck out his middle finger and exclaimed "this, for you, is the [[Demagogue#History and definition of the word|demagogue]] of the [[Classical Athens|Athenians]]"<ref name="Laertius"/>]] In [[Greek language|Greek]] the gesture was known as the ''katapugon''<ref name="tufts"/><ref name="Before Sexuality: The Construction of Erotic Experience in the Ancient Greek World"/> (''κατάπυγον'', from ''kata'' - κατά, "downwards"<ref name="tufts1"/> and ''pugē'' - πυγή, "rump, buttocks"<ref name="tufts2"/>). In [[ancient Greek comedy]], the finger was a gesture of [[insult]] toward another person, with the term ''katapugon'' also referring to "a male who submits to anal penetration"<ref name="Not the classical ideal: Athens and the construction of the other in Greek art"/> or ''katapugaina'' to a female.<ref name="The Poetics of Eros in Ancient Greece"/> In [[Aristophanes]]' comedy ''[[The Clouds]]'' (423 BC),<ref name="Dover"/> when the character Socrates is quizzing his student on [[Metre (poetry)|poetic meters]], Strepsiades declares that he knows quite well what a [[Dactyl (poetry)|dactyl]] is, and gives the finger. The gesture is a visual pun on the two meanings of the Greek word ''dactylos'', both "[[dactyly|finger]]" and the rhythmic measure composed of a long syllable and two short, like the joints of a finger ({{nowrap|^{— ‿ ‿},}} which also appears as a visual pun on the penis and testicles in a medieval Latin text<ref name="The Latin Sexual Vocabulary"/>). Socrates reacts to the gesture as boorish and childish.<ref name="Dover"/><ref name="Clouds (ll. 650-6)"/> The gesture recurs as a form of mockery in ''[[Peace (play)|Peace]]'', alongside farting in someone's face;<ref name="Peace (ll. 546-9)"/><ref name="tufts3"/> the usage is later explained in the ''[[Suda]]'' and included in the ''[[Adagia]]'' of [[Erasmus]].<ref name="stoa"/><ref name="Adages III.iii.87"/> The verb "to play the [[Sifnos|Siphnian]]" appears in a fragment of Aristophanes and has a similar meaning;<ref name="tufts4"/><ref name="The Maculate Muse: Obscene Language in Attic Comedy"/> the usage is once again explained in the ''Suda'', where it is said to mean "to touch the anus with a finger".<ref name="stoa5"/> [[Diogenes Laertius]] records how the [[Cynicism (philosophy)|Cynic philosopher]] [[Diogenes of Sinope|Diogenes]] directed the gesture at the orator [[Demosthenes]] in 4th-century BC [[Classical Athens|Athens]].<ref name="Laertius"/> In the ''[[Discourses of Epictetus]]'', Diogenes' target is instead one of the [[sophists]].<ref name="Discourses of Epictetus III.2.i"/> In [[Latin]], the middle finger was the ''digitus [[Homosexuality in ancient Rome#Impudicitia|impudicus]]'', meaning the "shameless, indecent or offensive finger".<ref name=offensive/> In the 1st century AD, [[Persius]] had superstitious female relatives concoct a charm with the "infamous finger" (''digitus [[Infamia|infamis]]'') and "purifying spit";<ref name="Satires II.33"/><ref name="Adages II.iv.68"/> while in the ''[[Satyricon]]'', an old woman uses dust, spit and her middle finger to mark the forehead before casting a spell.<ref name="Satyricon 131"/> The poet [[Martial]] has a character in good health extend "the indecent one" toward three doctors.<ref name=offensive/><ref name="Epigrammata VI.70.5"/> In another [[Martial#Martial's Epigrams|epigram]], [[Martial]] wrote: "Laugh loud, Sextillus, at whoever calls you a ''[[Cinaedus#Cinaedus|cinaedus]]'' and extend your middle finger."<ref name="Epigrammata II.28.1-2"/><ref name="Roman Homosexuality"/> [[Juvenal]], through [[synecdoche]], has the "middle [[Fingernail|nail]]" cocked at threatening [[Fortuna]].<ref name="Satire X.52-3"/> The indecent finger features again in a mocking context in the ''[[Priapeia]]'', a collection of poems relating to the phallic god [[Priapus]].<ref name="Corbeill"/> In [[Late Antiquity]], the term "shameless finger" is explained in the ''[[Etymologiae]]'' of [[Isidore of Seville]] with reference to its frequent use when accusing someone of a "shameful action".<ref name="The Body Legal in Barbarian Law"/> ===Medieval era=== The finger is similar to a gesture made by [[knight]]s in the [[Middle Ages]], in which they raised their [[lance]]s upright towards each other.<ref name=sanjose/> It is also reminiscent of the manner male [[baboons]] and [[squirrel monkeys]] gesture with an erect [[penis]] as both a warning of impeding danger and a threat to predators.<ref name=sanjose/><ref name=offensive/> A legend had it that the middle finger as a gesture originated from the [[Battle of Agincourt]], fought between [[England]] and France in 1415, during the [[Hundred Years' War]]. According to the legend, French soldiers cut off the middle fingers of English archers, to prevent them from using the [[English longbow]], which required the middle finger to operate. In an act of defiance, the English soldiers supposedly made the gesture with their middle fingers towards the French.<ref name="straightdope"/> This, however, is also where the gesture of '[[V sign as an insult|flicking the Vs]]' supposedly comes from, as the index and middle fingers are actually needed for the considerable force required to draw a longbow.{{cn|date=November 2012}} ===United States=== Linguist [[Jesse Sheidlower]] traces the gesture's development in the United States to the 1890s.<ref name=sanjose/> According to anthropologist [[Desmond Morris]], the gesture probably came to the United States via Italian immigrants.<ref name=offensive/> The first documented appearance of the finger in the United States was in 1886 when [[Charles Radbourn|Old Hoss Radbourn]], a [[baseball]] [[pitcher]] for the [[Boston Beaneaters]], was photographed giving it to a member of the rival [[History of the New York Giants (NL)|New York Giants]].<ref name="offensive"/> ==Cultural impact== ===Politics and military incidents=== The gesture has been involved in notable political events. During the [[USS Pueblo (AGER-2)|USS ''Pueblo'']] incident, the captured American crewmembers often discreetly gave the finger in staged photo ops, thus ruining the [[North Korea]]ns' propaganda efforts. The North Koreans, ignorant of what the gesture meant, were at first told by the prisoners that it was a "Hawaiian Good Luck Sign", similar to "[[hang loose]]". When the guards finally figured things out, the crewmembers were subjected to more severe punishment.<ref name="The Digit Affair"/> [[Abbie Hoffman]] used the gesture at the [[1968 Democratic National Convention]].<ref name=sanjose/> [[Ronald Reagan]], while serving as the [[Governor of California]], gave the middle finger to [[counterculture]] protestors in [[Berkeley, California]].<ref name=sanjose/> [[Nelson Rockefeller]], then the [[Vice President of the United States]], directed the gesture to hecklers at a 1976 campaign stop near [[Binghamton, New York]], leading it to be called the "Rockefeller Gesture".<ref name=sanjose/> [[Pierre Trudeau]], then the [[Prime Minister of Canada]], gave the finger to protesters in [[Salmon Arm, British Columbia]].<ref name="Top aide put on spot over Trudeau's one-finger gesture"/> During [[World War II]], the [[91st Bombardment Group]] of the [[United States Army Air Forces]] referred to the gesture as the "rigid digit" salute. It was used in a more jocular manner, to suggest an airman had committed an error or infraction; the term was a reference to British slang terms for inattentiveness (i.e. "pull your finger out (of your bum)").<ref name="Freeman"/> The "Order of the Rigid Digit" continued after the war as a series of awards presented by the veteran's association of the 91st, marked by wooden statuettes of a hand giving the single finger gesture.<ref name="91stbombgroup"/> The middle finger has been involved in judicial hearings. An [[Appellate Court]] in [[Hartford, Connecticut]] ruled in 1976 that gesturing with the middle finger was offensive, but not obscene, after a police officer charged a 16-year-old with making an obscene gesture when the student gave the officer the middle finger.<ref name="Raising middle finger not obscene, judges say"/> The case was appealed to the [[Connecticut Supreme Court]],<ref name="Leonard Backing Court Appeal On Middle Finger"/> which upheld the decision.<ref name="moving finger"/> In March 2006, a federal lawsuit was filed regarding the free speech issue.<ref name="Middle finger saulte leads to federal lawsuit"/> Giving the finger has resulted in negative consequences. A [[Malaysia]]n man was bludgeoned to death after giving the finger to a motorist following a car chase.<ref name="A fatal finger gesture"/> A [[Pakistan]]i man was deported by the [[United Arab Emirates]] for the gesture, which violates indecency codes.<ref name="Dubai: Deportation for finger gesture man - News"/> People have given the finger as a method of [[political protest]]. At a concert, [[Ricky Martin]] gave a picture of [[George W. Bush]] the finger to protest the [[War in Iraq]].<ref name="google"/> [[Serbia]]n protesters gave the finger to the [[Russian embassy]] regarding their support of [[Slobodan Milošević]].<ref name="google6"/> Artist [[Ai Weiwei]] has used the finger in photographs and sculptures as a political statement.<ref name="MOMA - The Collection - Ai Weiwei. Study of Perspective - Tiananmen Square"/> ===In popular culture=== The use of the middle finger has become pervasive in popular culture. The band [[Cobra Starship]] released a song called "[[Middle Finger (song)|Middle Finger]]", and released a [[music video]] that showed people giving the finger.<ref name="Cobra Starship's 'Middle Finger' Video Is Bird-Flipping Fun - Music, Celebrity, Artist News"/> Italian artist [[Maurizio Cattelan]] installed a marble statue of a middle finger measuring {{convert|11|m}}, located directly in front of the [[Milan Stock Exchange]].<ref name="Middle finger sculpture pops up in front of Milan Stock Exchange"/> A now-famous photograph of [[Johnny Cash]] shows him giving the middle finger to a photographer during a 1969 concert at [[San Quentin State Prison]], released as ''[[At San Quentin]]''.<ref name="The Story Behind Johnny Cash's Infamous Middle Finger Photo ::Johnny Cash News"/> However, the photo remained fairly obscure until 1998, when producer [[Rick Rubin]] made it the centerpiece of an ad in ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' criticizing country radio for not giving airplay to Cash's [[Grammy Award for Best Country Album|Grammy-winning]] album ''[[Unchained (Johnny Cash album)|Unchained]]''.<ref name="Johnny Cash's Famous Middle Finger"/> [[Cameron Diaz]] made the gesture during a photo shoot for ''[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]]''.<ref name=acceptance/> [[Harold Lloyd]] shot the finger to his own reflection in a [[Coney Island]] funhouse after getting paint on his suit in ''[[Speedy (film)|Speedy]]'', his final silent feature, from 1928.<ref name="Silent Visions: Discovering Early Hollywood and New York Through the Films of Harold Lloyd"/> [[Image:Old Hoss Radbourn finger.jpg|right|thumb|thumb|right|250px|Baseball pitcher [[Charles Radbourn|Old Hoss Radbourn]] pictured giving the finger to cameraman, 1886. (Back row, far left). First known photograph of the gesture.<ref name="Fifty-nine in '84: Old Hoss Radbourn, Barehanded Baseball, and the Greatest Season a Pitcher Ever Had"/>]] Athletes, including [[Metta World Peace|Ron Artest]], [[Luis Suárez]], [[Juan Pablo Montoya]], [[Iván Rodríguez]], [[Danny Graves]], [[Jack McDowell]], [[Natasha Zvereva]], [[Josh Smith]], and [[Bryan Cox]] have been suspended or fined for making the gesture.<ref name=acceptance/><ref name=offensive/><ref name="slate"/><ref name="laverty"/><ref name="Through the years with the crudest finger in sports"/> [[José Paniagua]] was released by the [[Chicago White Sox]] after giving the middle finger to an [[umpire (baseball)|umpire]].<ref name=slate/> Baseball executive [[Chub Feeney]] once resigned after giving the finger to fans on Fan Appreciation Night.<ref name=slate/><ref name="wulf"/> [[Bud Adams]], owner of the [[National Football League]]'s [[Tennessee Titans]], was fined $250,000 for giving both middle fingers to the fans of the [[Buffalo Bills]] during a game.<ref name="sportingnews"/><ref name="Could Bud Adams' middle finger endear NFL owners to fans?"/> Musical artists, including [[Madonna (entertainer)]], [[Lady Gaga]], [[Eminem]], [[Justin Bieber]], [[Katy Perry]], and [[Adele (singer)|Adele]] have all publicly made the gesture.<ref name="M.I.A. Super Bowl Middle Finger Joins Long List Of Celebrity Flip-Offs"/><ref name="Adele turns tables on TV execs with finger gesture"/> [[Britney Spears]] gave the gesture towards members of the [[paparazzi]], but had to apologize when fans interpreted the gesture as directed at them.<ref name=offensive/> [[M.I.A. (artist)|M.I.A.]] gave the gesture during the [[Super Bowl XLVI]] [[List of Super Bowl halftime shows|Halftime Show]].<ref name=offensive/><ref name="M.I.A. flips middle finger during Super Bowl halftime show"/> The [[National Football League]], [[NBC]], and M.I.A. apologized.<ref name=offensive/><ref name="M.I.A. Shouldn't have apologized"/> The media sometimes refers to the gesture as being mistaken for an indication of "we're number one", typically indicated with a raised [[index finger]].<ref name=wulf/><ref name="Madonna's Super Bowl Halftime Show Edges Out the Game"/><ref name="Bruins edge Habs early in OT"/> [[Ira Robbins]], a law professor, believes the finger is no longer an obscene gesture.<ref name=offensive/> [[Psychologist]] [[David Walsh (psychologist)|David Walsh]], founder of the [[National Institute on Media and the Family]], sees the growing acceptance of the middle finger as a sign of the growth of a "culture of disrespect".<ref name="acceptance"/> ==Similar gestures== In the [[United Kingdom]], [[Ireland]], [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]], the [[V sign as an insult|V sign]], when given with back of the hand towards the recipient, serves a similar purpose. [[George H. W. Bush]], [[President of the United States]], accidentally made the gesture while on a diplomatic trip to Australia.<ref name="google7"/> In countries where Spanish, Portuguese, or French are spoken, and especially on the [[Iberian peninsula]] and in [[Latin America]], a gesture called the [[bras d'honneur]] involving raising a fist and slapping the biceps on the same arm as the fist used, sometimes called the Iberian slap or Iberian finger, is equivalent to the finger. [[Italy]], [[Poland]], and countries under the influence of Russian culture, such as [[Russia]], [[Belarus]], and the [[Ukraine]], also see the bras d'honneur as equivalent to the finger.<ref name=offensive/> In former [[Persia]], mainly [[Iran]] and [[Iraq]], a gesture involving exposing only the thumb in a vertical orientation – a thumbs up – is used in lieu of the finger to express roughly the same sentiment.<ref name=aok/> In [[Latin America]], the "[[A-ok]]" gesture, where the index finger and thumb form a closed circle, is offensive. [[Richard Nixon]] made this gesture while in a Latin American country in the 1950s.<ref name=aok/> In some [[Africa]]n and [[Caribbean]] countries, a similarly obscene gesture is extending all five digits with the palm facing forward, meaning "you have five fathers", thus calling someone a [[illegitimacy|bastard]].<ref name="aok"/> This is similar to a gesture known in [[Greece]] as the [[Moutza]], where the five fingers are spread wide and the palm is pushed towards the recipient.<ref name="kass"/> More commonly in Russian-influenced areas, the [[List of gestures#Fig sign|fig sign]] (also known as ''shish'') serves as the equivalent to the finger. The gesture is typically made with the hand and fingers curled and the thumb thrust between the middle and index fingers. This gesture is also used similarly in [[Indonesia]], [[Turkey]] and [[China]].<ref name="How the internet is changing language"/> ==See also== {{Portal box|Culture|Freedom of speech|Language|Linguistics|Society}} *[[Articulatory gestures]] *[[Dulya]] *[[List of gestures]] *[[List of sign languages]] *[[Manual communication]] *[[Mooning]] *[[Non verbal communication]] *[[Obscene gesture]] *[[Shocker (hand gesture)]] *[[Wanker]] ==Further reading== *{{cite book|title=The Finger: A Comprehensive Guide to Flipping Off|first1=M. J.|last1=Loheed|first2=Matt|last2=Patterson|first3=Eddie|last3=Schmidt|publisher=Acid Test|year=1998|isbn=1888358122}} *{{cite book|title=Articles on Gestures, Including: Salute, Hitchhiking, Handshake, Finger (Gesture), Handwaving, Roman Salute, V Sign, Two-Finger Salute, Bellamy Salute, Gesture, Anasyrma, Applause, Shocker (Hand Gesture), Mudra, Air Quotes, Hand-Kissing|publisher=Hephaestus Books|year=2011|isbn=1243424540}} *{{cite book|title=Field Guide to Gestures: How to Identify and Interpret Virtually Every Gesture Known to Man|first1=Melissa|last1=Wagner|first2=Nancy|last2=Armstrong|publisher=[[Quirk Books]]|year=2003|isbn=1931686203}} ==References== {{reflist|30em|refs= <ref name="91stbombgroup">The Ragged Irregular, Vol. 4, No. 3, April 1971. [http://www.91stbombgroup.com/Ragged_Irregular/RI_1971_April_V4_N3.pdf accessed online 1 Aug 2012] p.3</ref> <ref name="A fatal finger gesture">{{cite web|url=http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/4/17/nation/6078043&sec=nation |title=A fatal finger gesture |publisher=Thestar.com.my |date=April 17, 2010 |accessdate=July 9, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="acceptance">[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=8acaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fkMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6777,2392414&dq=middle-finger&hl=en Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Google News Archive Search<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> <ref name="Adages II.iv.68">{{cite book |url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=6ZmvYg1tVR4C&pg=PA225#v=onepage&q&f=false |title=Adages II.iv.68 |author=[[Erasmus]] |publisher=[[University of Toronto Press]] |year=1992 |isbn=978-0-802-05954-3 |pages=225–6}}</ref> <ref name="Adages III.iii.87">{{cite book |url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=vwf_62ogNK4C&pg=PA311#v=onepage&q&f=false |title=Adages III.iii.87 |author=[[Erasmus]] |publisher=[[University of Toronto Press]] |year=1992 |isbn=978-0-802-02831-0 |page=311}}</ref> <ref name="Adele turns tables on TV execs with finger gesture">{{cite web|last=Collett |first=Mike |url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/02/22/uk-britawards-adele-idUKTRE81L0O020120222 |title=Adele turns tables on TV execs with finger gesture |publisher=Reuters |date= |accessdate=July 11, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="aok">{{cite news|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0DEED61039F93BA2575BC0A960958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all|title=What's A-O.K. in the U.S.A. Is Lewd and Worthless Beyond|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=August 18, 1996|accessdate=April 11, 2008}}</ref> <ref name="Before Sexuality: The Construction of Erotic Experience in the Ancient Greek World">{{cite book |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=_6qLgVl4uikC&pg=PA186&dq=katapugon+finger&hl=en&ei=DXK6TqmSHIj6sgbCy4W6Bg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDoQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=katapugon%20finger&f=false |title=Before Sexuality: The Construction of Erotic Experience in the Ancient Greek World |author1=Halperin, David M. |author2=Winkler, John J. |publisher=[[Princeton University Press]] |year=1992 |isbn=978-0-691-03538-3 |page=186}}</ref> <ref name="Bruins edge Habs early in OT">{{cite news|last=Stevenson|first=Chris|title=Bruins edge Habs early in OT|date=April 21, 2011|newspaper=The Kingston Whig-Standard|agency=QMI Agency|url=http://www.thewhig.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3091117|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/691ZxfYk6|archivedate=July 9, 2012|deadurl=no}}</ref> <ref name="Clouds (ll. 650-6)">{{cite web |url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0241%3Acard%3D627 |title=Clouds (ll. 650-6) |author=[[Aristophanes]] |publisher=[[Perseus Project]] |accessdate=July 11, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="Cobra Starship's 'Middle Finger' Video Is Bird-Flipping Fun - Music, Celebrity, Artist News">{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1677547/cobra-starship-middle-finger-music-video.jhtml |title=Cobra Starship's 'Middle Finger' Video Is Bird-Flipping Fun - Music, Celebrity, Artist News |publisher=MTV.com |date=January 19, 2012 |accessdate=July 9, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="Corbeill">{{cite book |url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=FpM42-kWgxsC&pg=PA6#v=onepage&q&f=false |title=Nature Embodied: Gesture in Ancient Rome |author=Corbeill, Anthony |publisher=[[Princeton University Press]] |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-691-07494-8 |page=6}}</ref> <ref name="Could Bud Adams' middle finger endear NFL owners to fans?">{{cite web|author=Mike Florio |url=http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2009-11-18/could-bud-adams-middle-finger-endear-nfl-owners-fans |title=Could Bud Adams' middle finger endear NFL owners to fans? |work=Sporting News |publisher=Aol.sportingnews.com |date=November 18, 2009 |accessdate=July 11, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="Discourses of Epictetus III.2.i">{{cite web |url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0236:text=disc:book=3:chapter=2&highlight=finger%2Cmiddle#note4 |title=Discourses of Epictetus III.2.i |author=[[Arrian]] |publisher=[[Perseus Project]] |accessdate=July 17, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="Dover">{{cite book |title=Aristophanes Clouds |author=[[Kenneth Dover|Dover, K.J.]] |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=1968 |isbn=0-19-814395-8 |pages=xvii, 181}}</ref> <ref name="Dubai: Deportation for finger gesture man - News">{{cite web|author=Published on Sunday 9 January 2011 16:59 |url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/dubai-deportation-for-finger-gesture-man-1-1496029 |title=Dubai: Deportation for finger gesture man - News |publisher=Scotsman.com |date=January 9, 2011 |accessdate=July 9, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="Epigrammata II.28.1-2">{{cite web |url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0506%3Abook%3D2%3Apoem%3D28 |title=Epigrammata II.28.1-2 |author=[[Martial]] |language=Latin |publisher=[[Perseus Project]] |accessdate=July 11, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="Epigrammata VI.70.5">{{cite web |url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0506%3Abook%3D6%3Apoem%3D70 |title=Epigrammata VI.70.5 |language=Latin |author=[[Martial]] |publisher=[[Perseus Project]] |accessdate=July 11, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="Fifty-nine in '84: Old Hoss Radbourn, Barehanded Baseball, and the Greatest Season a Pitcher Ever Had">{{cite book |title=Fifty-nine in '84: Old Hoss Radbourn, Barehanded Baseball, and the Greatest Season a Pitcher Ever Had |first=Edward |last=Achorn |publisher=Smithsonian Books |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-06-182586-6 |page=24}}</ref> <ref name="Freeman">{{cite book| last1=Freeman |first1=Roger A. |title=Mighty Eighth War Diary |year=1990 |publisher=Motorbooks Intl |isbn=978-0879384951 |oclc= |page=}}</ref> <ref name="google">[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=EjIgAAAAIBAJ&sjid=V0gEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5248,1797571&dq=middle-finger+george-bush&hl=en Daily News - Google News Archive Search<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> <ref name="google6">[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ioFJAAAAIBAJ&sjid=twsNAAAAIBAJ&pg=1424,744971&dq=middle-finger+protest&hl=en The Post and Courier - Google News Archive Search<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> <ref name="google7">[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-yYOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=sn0DAAAAIBAJ&pg=3201,208194&dq=v+sign+middle+finger&hl=en The Prescott Courier - Google News Archive Search<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> <ref name="How the internet is changing language">{{cite web|last=Kleinman |first=Zoe |url=http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-10971949 |work=[[BBC News]]|title=How the internet is changing language |publisher=Bbc.com |date=August 16, 2010 |accessdate=July 11, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="Johnny Cash's Famous Middle Finger">{{cite web|url=http://www.savingcountrymusic.com/johnny-cashs-famous-middle-finger |title=Johnny Cash's Famous Middle Finger |author="The Triggerman" |publisher=''SavingCountryMusic.com'' |date=July 18, 2010 |accessdate=August 2, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="kass">{{cite news|first=John |last=Kass |url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2009-10-09/news/0910080832_1_traffic-signal-hand-greek |title=Curses! Hand it to the feds to insult us on every corner |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=October 9, 2009 |accessdate=July 11, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="Kipfer">{{cite book| last1=Kipfer |first1=Barbara Ann |last2= Chapman |first2=Robert L. |title=American Slang |year=2008 |publisher=HarperCollins |isbn=978-0-06-117947-1 |oclc=191931926 |page=165}}</ref> <ref name="Laertius">{{cite web |url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0257%3Abook%3D6%3Achapter%3D2 |title=Lives of Eminent Philosophers VI.2.34 |author=[[Diogenes Laertius]] |language=Ancient Greek |publisher=[[Perseus Project]] |accessdate=July 11, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="laverty">{{cite web|last=Laverty |first=Gene |url=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aEFDLLNlfxgE&refer=home |title=Montoya Fined $10,000 by Nascar for Finger Gesture Caught by TV |publisher=Bloomberg |date=April 25, 2007 |accessdate=July 11, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="Leonard Backing Court Appeal On Middle Finger">{{cite news|url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=uFcpAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Em4FAAAAIBAJ&pg=1215,1045486&dq=middle-finger&hl|title=Leonard Backing Court Appeal On Middle Finger|agency=United Press International|page=5|newspaper=The Hour|date=January 8, 1977|accessdate=July 17, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="M.I.A. flips middle finger during Super Bowl halftime show">{{cite web|author=Gardner, Tim|url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2012/02/mia-middle-finger-super-bowl-halftime-show/1|title=M.I.A. flips middle finger during Super Bowl halftime show|date=February 5, 2012|accessdate=February 6, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="M.I.A. Shouldn't have apologized">{{cite web|author=Frere-Jones, Sasha|work=The New Yorker|title=M.I.A. Shouldn't have apologized|url=http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2012/02/im-sorry-mia-apologized.html|date=February 6, 2012|accessdate=February 15, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="M.I.A. Super Bowl Middle Finger Joins Long List Of Celebrity Flip-Offs">{{cite web|last=Kaufman |first=Gil |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1678599/mia-super-bowl-halftime-middle-finger.jhtml |title=M.I.A. Super Bowl Middle Finger Joins Long List Of Celebrity Flip-Offs |publisher=MTV.com |date=February 6, 2012 |accessdate=July 9, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="Madonna's Super Bowl Halftime Show Edges Out the Game">{{cite news|last=Kenneally|first=Tim|title=Madonna's Super Bowl Halftime Show Edges Out the Game|date=February 6, 2012|work=reuters.com|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/06/idUS121991955020120206|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/691Zkmgh8|archivedate=July 9, 2012|deadurl=no}}</ref> <ref name="Middle finger saulte leads to federal lawsuit">{{cite news|url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=9PRRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LHIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2979,3637599&dq=middle-finger&hl=en|title=Middle finger saulte leads to federal lawsuit|first=Paula|last=Reed Ward|newspaper=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|page=B1|date=March 14, 2006|accessdate=July 17, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="Middle finger sculpture pops up in front of Milan Stock Exchange">{{cite news|url=http://news.nationalpost.com/2010/09/27/middle-finger-sculpture-in-milan-sends-strong-message/ |title=Middle finger sculpture pops up in front of Milan Stock Exchange |newspaper=National Post |date=September 27, 2010 |accessdate=July 9, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="MOMA - The Collection - Ai Weiwei. Study of Perspective - Tiananmen Square">{{cite web|title=MOMA - The Collection - Ai Weiwei. Study of Perspective - Tiananmen Square |url=http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?object_id=117098 |publisher=Museum of Modern Art |accessdate=August 1, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="moving finger">{{cite news|url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=q1pQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=mVgDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4381,3349445&dq=middle-finger+connecticut&hl=en |title=The Moving Finger Writes Legal History|page=19-A|first=Hugh A.|last=Mulligan|newspaper=The Evening Independent|date=January 30, 1978|accessdate=July 17, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="Not the classical ideal: Athens and the construction of the other in Greek art">{{cite book |title=Not the classical ideal: Athens and the construction of the other in Greek art |author=Cohen, Beth |publisher=[[Brill Publishers|Brill]] |year=2000 |page=186}}</ref> <ref name="offensive">{{cite news | first = Daniel | last = Nasaw | title = When did the middle finger become offensive? | date = February 6, 2012 | publisher = BBC | url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16916263 | work = BBC News Magazine | accessdate = February 7, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="Peace (ll. 546-9)">{{cite web |url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0037%3Acard%3D520 |title=Peace (ll. 546-9) |author=[[Aristophanes]] |language=Ancient Greek |publisher=[[Perseus Project]] |accessdate=July 17, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="Raising middle finger not obscene, judges say">{{cite news|url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Njs0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=desFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6142,3382610&dq=middle-finger&hl=en|newspaper=The Miami News|page=2A|title=Raising middle finger not obscene, judges say|agency=Associated Press|date=December 28, 1976|accessdate=July 17, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="Roman Homosexuality">{{cite book |url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=JoS4ffPU1-0C&pg=PA223#v=onepage&q&f=false |title=Roman Homosexuality |author=Williams, Craig Arthur |year=2010 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-195-38874-9 |page=223}}</ref> <ref name="sanjose">{{cite news|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=SJ&s_site=mercurynews&p_multi=SJ&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB71FB962BD9D8F&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |newspaper=[[San Jose Mercury News]]|date=June 20, 1996|page=16A|title=Davis' Infamous Finger Salute Has Had a Big Hand in History; Folklorists: Roots Go Back At Least 2,000 Years To Ancient Rome|first=Michael|last=Oricchio|accessdate=July 9, 2012}} {{subscription required|date=July 2012}}</ref> <ref name="Satire X.52-3">{{cite web |url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2007.01.0093%3Abook%3D4%3Apoem%3D10 |title=Satire X.52-3 |author=[[Juvenal]] |language=Latin |publisher=[[Perseus Project]] |accessdate=July 17, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="Satires II.33">{{cite web |url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text;jsessionid=6E5C16D57764E6A73AA2AE9F39CD2BA6?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2008.01.0497%3Asatire%3D2 |title=Satires II.33 |author=[[Persius]] |language=Latin |publisher=[[Perseus Project]] |accessdate=July 17, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="Satyricon 131">{{cite web |url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A2007.01.0027%3Atext%3DSatyricon%3Asection%3D131 |title=Satyricon 131 |author=[[Petronius]] |language=Latin |publisher=[[Perseus Project]] |accessdate=July 17, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="Silent Visions: Discovering Early Hollywood and New York Through the Films of Harold Lloyd">{{cite book|last=Bengtson|first=John|title=Silent Visions: Discovering Early Hollywood and New York Through the Films of Harold Lloyd|year=2011|publisher=Santa Monica Press|isbn=978-1-59580-057-2|pages=228}}</ref> <ref name="slate">{{cite web|last=Waldman |first=Katy |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2003/10/baseball_and_the_bird.html |title=Baseball and the bird. - Slate Magazine |publisher=Slate.com |date= |accessdate=July 9, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="sportingnews">{{cite web|agency=Associated Press |url=http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2009-11-16/nfl-fines-titans-owner-bud-adams-250000-for-obscene-gesture |title=NFL fines Titans owner Bud Adams $250,000 for obscene gesture |work=Sporting News |publisher=Aol.sportingnews.com |date=November 16, 2009 |accessdate=July 11, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="stoa">{{cite web |url=http://www.stoa.org/sol-bin/search.pl?login=guest&enlogin=guest&db=REAL&field=adlerhw_gr&searchstr=epsilon,3150 |title=Suda On Line: Ἐσκιμάλισεν |publisher=The Stoa Consortium |accessdate=July 17, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="stoa5">{{cite web |url=http://www.stoa.org/sol-bin/search.pl?login=guest&enlogin=guest&db=REAL&field=adlerhw_gr&searchstr=sigma,510 |title=Suda On Line: Σιφνιάζειν |publisher=The Stoa Consortium |accessdate=July 17, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="straightdope">Adams, Cecil. [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a980904.html "What's the origin of 'the finger'?"] ''[[Straight Dope]]'', September 4, 1998</ref> <ref name="The Body Legal in Barbarian Law">{{cite book |url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=2p0ap5rBdBMC&pg=PA150#v=onepage&q&f=false |title=The Body Legal in Barbarian Law |author=Oliver, Lisi |publisher=[[University of Toronto Press]] |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-802-09706-4 |page=150}}</ref> <ref name="The Digit Affair">{{cite web| first = Russell| last = Stu| title = The Digit Affair| url = http://www.usspueblo.org/Prisoners/The_Digit_Affair.html| archiveurl = http://www.webcitation.org/5t7qPfttm| publisher = USS Pueblo Veteran's Association| archivedate = September 30, 2010| accessdate =September 30, 2010 | quote = The finger became an integral part of our anti-propaganda campaign. Any time a camera appeared, so did the fingers.}}</ref> <ref name="The Latin Sexual Vocabulary">{{cite book |url= |title=The Latin Sexual Vocabulary |author=Adams, J.N. |year=1982 |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |isbn= |page=39}}</ref> <ref name="The Maculate Muse: Obscene Language in Attic Comedy">{{cite book |url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=aBsR2BEuAq0C&pg=PA213#v=onepage&q&f=false |title=The Maculate Muse: Obscene Language in Attic Comedy |author=Henderson, Jeffrey |publisher=[[Yale University Press]] |year=1975 |isbn=978-0-300-01786-1 |page=213}}</ref> <ref name="The New Testament World: Insights from Cultural Anthropology">{{cite book |title=The New Testament World: Insights from Cultural Anthropology |edition=3 |author=Malina, Bruce J. |location=Louisville |publisher=[[Westminster John Knox Press]] |year=2001}}</ref> <ref name="The Poetics of Eros in Ancient Greece">{{cite book |url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=1RAqEqgfiI0C&pg=PA136#v=onepage&q&f=false |title=The Poetics of Eros in Ancient Greece |author1=[[Claude Calame|Calame, Claude]] |author2=Lloyd, Janet |publisher=[[Princeton University Press]] |year=1999 |isbn=978-0-691-04341-8 |page=136}}</ref> <ref name="The Story Behind Johnny Cash's Infamous Middle Finger Photo ::Johnny Cash News">{{cite web|url=http://www.antimusic.com/news/11/march/21The_Story_Behind_Johnny_Cashs_Infamous_Middle_Finger_Photo.shtml |title=The Story Behind Johnny Cash's Infamous Middle Finger Photo ::Johnny Cash News |publisher=antiMusic.com |date= |accessdate=July 9, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="Through the years with the crudest finger in sports">{{cite web|url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1106982/index.htm |title=Through the years with the crudest finger in sports |publisher=[[Sports Illustrated]] |date=February 5, 2007 |accessdate=July 11, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="Top aide put on spot over Trudeau's one-finger gesture">{{cite news|url=http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=br4yAAAAIBAJ&sjid=8O4FAAAAIBAJ&pg=1291,2071232&dq=finger+gesture&hl=en|title=Top aide put on spot over Trudeau's one-finger gesture|newspaper=The Ottawa Citizen|page=11|date=August 25, 2012|accessdate=July 17, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="tufts">{{cite web |url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dkatapu%2Fgwn |title=A Greek–English Lexicon: κατάπυγον |author1=[[Henry Liddell|Liddell, Henry George]] |author2=[[Robert Scott (philologist)|Robert Scott]] |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] (via [[Perseus Project]]) |year=1940 |accessdate=July 11, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="tufts1">{{cite web |url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dkata%2F1 |title=A Greek–English Lexicon: κατά |author1=[[Henry Liddell|Liddell, Henry George]] |author2=[[Robert Scott (philologist)|Robert Scott]] |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] (via [[Perseus Project]]) |year=1940 |accessdate=July 11, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="tufts2">{{cite web |url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dpugh%2F |title=A Greek–English Lexicon: πυγή |author1=[[Henry Liddell|Liddell, Henry George]] |author2=[[Robert Scott (philologist)|Robert Scott]] |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] (via [[Perseus Project]]) |year=1940 |accessdate=July 11, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="tufts3">{{cite web |url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aalphabetic+letter%3D*s111%3Aentry+group%3D39%3Aentry%3Dskimali%2Fzw |title=A Greek–English Lexicon: σκιμαλίζω |author1=[[Henry Liddell|Liddell, Henry George]] |author2=[[Robert Scott (philologist)|Robert Scott]] |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] (via [[Perseus Project]]) |year=1940 |accessdate=July 17, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="tufts4">{{cite web |url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aalphabetic+letter%3D*s111%3Aentry+group%3D30%3Aentry%3Dsifnia%2Fzw |title=A Greek–English Lexicon: σιφνιάζω |author1=[[Henry Liddell|Liddell, Henry George]] |author2=[[Robert Scott (philologist)|Robert Scott]] |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] (via [[Perseus Project]]) |year=1940 |accessdate=July 17, 2012}}</ref> <ref name="wulf">{{cite news|last=Wulf|first=Steve|title=All My Padres|date=April 5, 1989|magazine=Sports Illustrated|url=http://cnnsi.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?expire=&title=For%2015%20years%2C%20the%20San%20Diego%20Padres%20have%20lived%20a%20soap%20-%2004.05.89%20-%20SI%20Vault&urlID=483868051&action=cpt&partnerID=289881&fb=Y&url=http%3A%2F%2Fsportsillustrated.cnn|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/691WhDKgH|archivedate=July 9, 2012|deadurl=no}}</ref> }} ==External links== {{Commons category|Middle finger gestures}} * {{Cite journal | last=Robbins |first =Ira P. |year=2008 |title =''Digitus Impudicus'': The Middle Finger and the Law| url =http://hpapers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=982405|format=pdf|journal=UC Davis Law Review|vol=41 }} * {{cite web|url=http://www.simplybodylanguage.com/finger-gesture.html|title=Finger Gesture Guide|work=Simply Body Language|publisher=SteNet Services B.V}} * {{cite web|url=http://www.snopes.com/language/apocryph/pluckyew.asp|title=Pluck Yew|work=[[Snopes.com]]|date=July 9, 2007}} {{Gestures}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Finger (Gesture)}} [[Category:Fingers]] [[Category:Hand gestures]] {{Good article}} [[cs:Zdvižený prostředník]] [[da:Fingeren (gestus)]] [[de:Stinkefinger]] [[et:Keskmise sõrme näitamine]] [[es:Higa]] [[fr:Doigt d'honneur]] [[hy:Մատ տնկելը]] [[it:Gesto del dito medio alzato]] [[he:אצבע משולשת]] [[ja:ファックサイン]] [[pl:Palec środkowy (gest)]] [[pt:Dedo médio#Como gesto obsceno]] [[ro:Degetul mijlociu (gest)]] [[ru:Средний палец (жест)]] [[sk:Prst (gesto)]] [[fi:Keskisormi (käsimerkki)]] [[sv:Finger (gest)]] [[zh:豎中指]]'