----------
From: Jay Lemke
Sent: Thursday, August 14, 1997 9:52 AM
To: xmca who-is-at weber.ucsd.edu
Subject: Re: today's history lesson (fwd)
After Agincourt --
OK, folklore trivia buffs -- this is a serious inquiry related to some
research I am really doing (how, I will leave till later) ...
What is the Name, Origin, and primary and related Meanings of the =
insulting
(or humorous) gesture in which one person surreptitiously holds a hand
behind the head of another person (generally in view of an audience or
camera) showing the thumb and little finger (or perhaps first and fourth
fingers) with the other fingers pulled into the palm so as to leave only
the two extended fingers visible.
And, no, this is not a test of the limits of language in describing hand
gestures!
All commonsense, traditional, and scholarly information appreciated!
JAY.
---------------------------
JAY L. LEMKE
CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
JLLBC who-is-at CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU
---------------------------
When I was a rebel without a cause "teenager" the gesture of the first =
and fourth fingers had a meaning similar to the middle finger. Whereas =
the middle finger was gender neutral, sticking up the first and fourth =
finders was normally directed to the female gender. The meaning I always =
understood was f***you b***. While the student audience did find it =
humorous the teacher's seldem did.
------ =_NextPart_000_01BCA8D1.92CA6460
Content-Type: application/ms-tnef
Content-Transfer-Encoding: base64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------ =_NextPart_000_01BCA8D1.92CA6460--