A Short History of Flipping the Bird

The "middle finger salute" is possibly the most widely-used rude gesture we have. It is often associated with road rage incidents, and is handy for instantly turning an argument into a fist fight, no pun intended. But where did it come from? Like many things we take for granted today, it originated with the ancient Greeks.

But 2,500 years ago, the meaning and usage of the middle finger was a bit different. The finger position was a straightforward phallic symbol that could be used for a number of communications. The gesture could be an insult, but was often a proposition or a part of a dirty joke. Greek playwright Aristophanes used it in several of his plays. The attitude was often more playful and ribald than challenging. According to ancient references, it was sometimes used to poke someone, with clear implications.

While the gesture itself is very old, referring to it as "flipping the bird" is much more recent. Get the lowdown on how the middle finger became both obscene and enduring at CNN. Be aware that the article is NSFW, unless you work at CNN. -via Fark

(Image credit: Clemens Stockner)