I was going to say that the gesture would likely not have been recognized in the late 1800s or whenever this might be, but I was wrong, and flipping the bird was a known insult way back in Roman times, so I am not going to say what I was originally going to and today we learned.
The two finger version of this originates in mediaeval Europe so it’s been possible to swear it people with your hands for a huge amount of history. It’s weird what we seem to prioritise.
funny how the “offensive” stuff persists throughout time. fun fact- the word “rooster” was invented because people didn’t want to say “cock.” guess what word hasn’t gone away…
I was going to say that the gesture would likely not have been recognized in the late 1800s or whenever this might be, but I was wrong, and flipping the bird was a known insult way back in Roman times, so I am not going to say what I was originally going to and today we learned.
I absolutely adore that you looked it up, and feel seen and validated.
The two finger version of this originates in mediaeval Europe so it’s been possible to swear it people with your hands for a huge amount of history. It’s weird what we seem to prioritise.
funny how the “offensive” stuff persists throughout time. fun fact- the word “rooster” was invented because people didn’t want to say “cock.” guess what word hasn’t gone away…