posted
This may be a wierd question to ask, but when referring to people giving you the middle finger in literature, is it 'flicking you off' or 'flipping you off'? This just may be a regional difference in dialogue but I thought I'd ask anyways.
posted
In Georgia, it's shooting a bird. I never heard of it as giving the finger, although I think it's probably filtered in by now through TV. Flipping somebody off, yes, I hear that in Georgia and elsewhere.
[This message has been edited by wbriggs (edited July 11, 2005).]
posted
This must be regional then. I have heard 'giving the finger' 'flipping you off' and 'giving you the bird' but never 'flicked you off' or 'universal wave'. Interesting.
Posts: 818 | Registered: Aug 2004
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posted
Be warned; "flicking off" could have a very different meaning to a UK reader. I think "flipping off" would be understood by a fair number of people over here, and "giving the finger" abundantly clear (this country is pretty much losing its traditional "two-fingered salute" - reputedly dating back to 1415 and the battle of Agincourt - in favour of the US middle-digit gesture, whose origins I don't know).
posted
I believe the two-finger salute had to do with English Longbowmen taunting their enemies with the two fingers they used to draw the bow. At least that's what a very reliable source told me... As far as the term used, in my story, I used "obsene hand gestures." I guess that may convey different things regionally, but to me it means giving the finger.
Posts: 73 | Registered: Jul 2005
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posted
It's also fun to swear at the offending person in American Sign Language. There are some really creative signs, and you can put them together into really fun phrases!
Posts: 1041 | Registered: Aug 2004
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