Origin of sayings?

[big_russ]

Plucking the Yew.

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.'

It is still an appropriate salute to give the French today!

 

[Basher]

Plucking the Yew.

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.'

It is still an appropriate salute to give the French today!

Nope, it's the 2 fingered salute big russ. Uniquely English mate as they used the middle and index finger to draw back the bowstring.

 

[drawboy]

'Fill your boots' is a good one, it comes from the Napolionic wars when The Duke of Wellingtons men carried leather water containers on their horses, these were called Boots. When they arrived at a river or stream they were then ordered to fill their boots.

Another one is to be 'Carried over the threshold' in medievil times comman folk would use straw threshings on the floor, a piece of wood was used in the doorway thus stoppint the thresh from being blown outside, this became known as a threshold.

 

[madandra]

When the British Empire was expanding manure was shipped all over the world to frtilise crops and the only way to move it was by ship. When the ship hit heavy storms the sea water got into the manure and the gases released caused explosions. This led to an instruction that became the slang name for it. The instruction was:


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