Monday, March 02, 2009

Buhay Buhangin (Sn 19)




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History Trivia (The History of the Middle Finger)
Before the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, the French, anticipating victory over the English, proposed to cut off the middle finger of all captured English soldiers. Without the middle finger it would be impossible to draw the renowned English longbow and therefore they would be incapable of fighting in the future. This famous English longbow was made of the native English Yew tree, and the act of drawing the longbow was known as “plucking the yew” (or “pluck yew”).
Much to the bewilderment of the French, the English won a major upset and began mocking the French by waving their middle fingers at the defeated French, saying, “See, we can still pluck yew”! Since “pluck yew” is rather difficult to say, the difficult consonant cluster at the beginning has gradually changed to a labiodentals fricative ‘F’, and thus the words often used in conjunction with the one-finger-salute! It is also because of the pheasant feathers on the arrows used with the longbow that the symbolic gesture is known as “giving the bird”.

And yew thought yew knew every plucking thing!

This bit of trivia was passed on to me. The historic battle is correct (source: Wikipedia). It was an English victory against a much larger French army. Although the battle was largely won because of the English longbow, I’m not sure if the term “f**k you” or the middle finger gesture has its roots from it. - BlogusVox

35 comments:

  1. Yew Vox, I read one comment about this topic that we should not pay attention to the pseudo-academic bluster on pheasant pluckers, labiodental fricatives and the English longbow as this is a clever and amusing spoof and should not to be taken seriously. It mentioned that the digitus infamis or digitus impudicus (infamous or indecent finger) is mentioned several times in the literature of ancient Rome and this means that it goes back way before the Battle of Agincourt. This is what I can tell yew from what I have read so far.

    But yew made a good cartoon and what a good trivia yew posted! I was trying to imitate how the Englishmen waved their middle finger to the Frenchmen and I chuckled with my imagination.

    How about yew?

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  2. Hehehe :D Ayos ah...nice info pre :)

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  3. Natawa naman ako sa cartoon mo, mahirap nga naman na kausapin ang sardinas hahaha. SO ganun pala nag umpisa ang middle finger na yan at ang salitang "FU" hehehe salamat sa info

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  4. Sa supermarket lang po ba? Nangyayari rin po ba sa isang restaurant? Halimbawa, magkabilaang table, ta's talikuran... then nag-uusap. Hahaha! Baka Buhay Buhangin (Sn 20) na po yan. U



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    Which middle finger, is it both the left and the right? Or left for the left-handed, and right for the right-handed English? Huhmn.

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  5. Ed, Na-amuyews ako doon sa cartoon. As usual, makatotohanang paglalahad ng buhay buhangin ng isang OFW.

    (RJ made a fine assumption dahil ganung-ganun din ang drama ng mga kabataang Saudis para makipagkilala sa isa't isa o kaya nama'y para katagpuin ang kanilang iniirog: kumain sa family restaurant at duon magholding hands sa ilalim ng lamesa).

    At na-amuyews din ako dun sa trivia ng middle finger especially ung labiodentals fricative. Whew!

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  6. pwede pa rin yan pag kahit papano e nagkakilala na sila at ligawan na lang. pero pano ba pag pakilala pa lang? ang hirap naman magsabi ng 'hi, pinay ka ba? ano name mo?" sa sardinas. he he

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  7. I missed to include some words here:

    Which middle finger WAS PROPOSED TO BE CUT OFF by the French, only the left for the left-handed, or only the right for the right-handed English? Or both the left and the right middle fingers? Huhmn.

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  8. lagi talaga ako naaliw sa post mo. some are trivial but i bet some are just plain experiences like this one. kumusta naman date nyo sa supermarket?

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  9. NJ, I'm not serious when I posted that trivia. That's why I check it out at "Wike" and made a comment at the bottom. : )

    LordCM, thank you.

    Sardonyx, salamat. As for the trivia, I not sure if its true.

    RJ, honestly I don't know. Pero kung ako siguro yung French, I'll cut the middle finger in both hands to make sure. : )

    Nebz, nosebleed no, not to mention, tongue twister pa.

    R-yo, kadalasan pag type nung guy ang gal, pinapasahan ng maliit na papel. Nakasulat doon ang name and telephone number nung lalaki.

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  10. Lawstude, salamat. Hehe, married na ako and my family are with me. And yes, buhay buhangin series are true experience. I just add a little humor to it.

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  11. hahaha... i remember those experience that my father shared to me when he was still in saudi. didn't know it's still like that until now.

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  12. Ay, talagang ganyan, ayoko naman makipag-date sa sardinas ano, hahahaha

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  13. tanong ko lang pag ganoon ba ka strikto ang batas sa Middle east nababawasan rin ba ang pamba babae ng palekerong pinoy?..he he he.

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  14. donG, medyo okay na ngayon, kasi may cellphone na. Kaya "texting" naman ang uso. Karaniwang text e "Papa, mi no load. Psa mo mi nman". : )

    sheng, hehehe, e sa mantika, makikipag-date ka?

    ed v., ang kasabihan ng mga pasaway at manyakis dito ay "If there's a will, there's a way" at "Illegal lang yan pag nahuli ka". : )

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  15. maparaan naman ang mga pinoy eh hahahaha hindi nga ba't hinahangaan nag mga kabayan sa pagiging madiskarte.. kahit saang aspeto lumalabas ang pagiging maparaan ng mga pinoy. hahaha

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  16. ha ha ha.... ang pinoy naman talaga likas na very resourceful!!!!

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  17. buti na lang dito pwede kausapin kahit sino...mapa chiks man or boy...kung ganun, cgro sardinas na rin ang kausap ko dito..heheh

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  18. ayon naman sa naikwento sakin eh sa mga ospital daw nagku-quickie ang ilan. alam mo na, kunwari may sakit pero sisimple lang pala sa nurse. hehehe. totoo ba yon?

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  19. what a funny truth... kalisod kausap ang mantika! :)

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  20. I was just discussing with a local yesterday. They're more open here to some extent. Bottom line is they're obligated by these limitations because the society has much problems and they don't want to add into it.

    But I'm surprised about her response to my query why some of them only cover their face, some are all covered, few only showing their eyes. Sabi nya it depends on how beautiful the woman is. The more she's beautiful, she needs to be covered more. Based on observation, I don't agree. =)

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  21. ~yAnaH~, gagawin ang lahat makita lang ang sinisinta.

    ed v., sabi nga eh, "Necessity is the mother of invention". Kung ina-apply sana ng pinoy ang "resourcefulness" nya sa ikabubuti ng bansa, di sana asensado na ang Pinas ngayon. : (

    (ilo)Cano, mabuti nga yan ang "lovestruck" kinakausap ang sardinas, ang "homesick" dito binibilang ang langaw.

    ardjey, meron akong naririnig na kwentong mas eskandaloso pa dyan. Yun lang, hindi ko alam kung totoo o hindi.

    7thstranger, kabudlay ka-ayo. Tanan himo-on kung si Corazon ang ga sugo.

    Ms.Jo, I think your right. It's the other way around. I've seen a lot of beautiful women here without cover, especially those from Lebanon and Syria. Walang panalo yang mga "artista" sa Pinas.

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  22. pluck yew!!!wazzup yew!!!nakuha mo na naman ginoong henyo tumpak.hindi lang sa supermarket ang tagpuan ni kabayan kahit sa aking lungga dito sa botika nagtatagpo sila nakakatuwang pagmasdan ginagawang kakutsaba pa ako if theres a will theres a way ,dito ang kausap nila mga food supplementS lol,pero hightech sila via txt sa cp or call, pero sakin ang deal ganito wag silang lumabas sa botika ko na walang bitbit kaya napipilitang bumili ng nga FOOD SUPPLEMENTS.lol.

    oi astig ang trivia hanep sa mga terms.

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  23. that just shows na maparaan ang mga pinoy? or love makes the world go nuts? ahehe ano ba tong nasabi ko..

    interesting funny trivia..

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  24. hahaha, natawa ako dun. one time kasi nasa loob ako ng Al Ramah, parang Pinoy mall dito sa Khobar. tapos may naguusap. medyo pabulong pero dinig. haha di ko na sasabihin kasi tsismis yun kaya parang ganun na ganun sa drawing mo, natawa ako, kasi parang naglalambing ang girl, pero kung tingnan mo ang kausap niya mga frozen meat at chicken, yung guy pala sa kabilang dulo, mga ice cream naman kausap. haha!

    Bravo for this series!

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  25. mightydacz, business is good kung gawin mong "lovers' park" yang pharmacy mo. : )

    bingskee, kung si Romeo nga at Juliet uminom ng lason dahil sa pag-ibig, how much more mere mortals like us. At least that kind of nuttiness, makes two people happy. : )

    Kinjie, haha, kunwari ka pa e nakikinig ka naman talaga sa usapan nu'ng dalawa. : )

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  26. Kanya kanyang paraan lang yan, sir.

    As regards the trivia, tulad ni Desert Aquaforce, iniisip ko rin na wala na silang pangsenyas na finger, Pluck yew na nga lang hehehe

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  27. That's a dandy cartoon bro. You can really draw man :) Grabe ang ligawan ano - nakukuha lang sa tingin hehe :)

    Nice trivia. Now I know a bit about history :)

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  28. wow, parang ang hirap ngang magligawan dyan! ;-)

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  29. Ka Rolly, kung gugustohin nga naman, hahanap at hahanap ng paraan. : )

    bw, thanks bro. As for the trivia, I'm not sure if its true.

    caryn, be thankful your in a place where people has liberal thinking.

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  30. The message posted on the cartoon catch my attention and indeed, thats true.

    I was once asked by my pinoy neighbor in KSA to accompany his wife to fetch a taxi from the nearby street which is a few minutes walk away, BUT I was reminded by another Muslim friend (also a pinoy neighbor) NOT to walk beside her. Instead, I was 15 meters behind her...

    BUHAY BUHANGIN!!.....

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  31. Naku, ang hirap naman pala diyan---the culture is so different. So anong parusa pag nakipag-usap sa opposite sex? Feeling ko hindi ko kayang mag-stay diyan, grabeng culture shock ito!

    Hmmmm, I learned really interesting stuff from you today. Thanksie!

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  32. Olay, that's true, you should never walk side-by-side with a woman if she's not related to you.

    Kats, you'll go to prison lang naman and for how long will depend on how influencial your sponsor is.

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  33. I've got something for you.ü
    During the middle ages, men were often away to fight wars somewhere in Europe and rarely returned alive. That left the women alone husbandless in their homes. During these period, there were many unexplained pregnancy, even at the long absence or death of their spouses. Of course, some of these wives were probably raped by pillaging mercenaries, while other women just became unfaithful, while still others sorted to selling their bodies in order to feed their children. Upon birth of these children of doubtful paternity, they were required by law to enrol the child in the civil registry. The mothers, when asked who the father of their child is, would just fall quiet (out of shame perhaps), giving an impression that they're actually thinking who the father of their child is. And so the civil registrar would just write on the records: Mater Putatorem meaning "the mother is thinking."
    Syempre, mahuhulaan mo na kung anong words ang nag-evolve sa words na yun diba?ü

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  34. Utoy, wither its true or not, that's a very interesting trivia. Since "Putatorem" is a mouthful, they shortened it by removing the last two syllables.

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  35. lol eto nanaman yung akong favorite na buhay buhangin, sigh, diko tuloy maisip pano ako mabubuhay sa middle east una sa pagsusuot palang ng burka at pangalawa lalo pag nasa supermarket ako e ang ingay ingay ko lalo nakakita ako ng kakilala hahaha

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