OFF: War and Civilization

[Andrew A. Apold]

>brian halligan writes:
>
>Drifting even further off topic - but what the heck - it's Friday
>afternoon on a wet summer's day:    I was watching a programme on the
>battle of Agincourt the other night** and apparently the weapons that
>won the battle were the English longbows and it's from the bowmen that
>the two fingered V-sign comes (not the Victory sign but the reverse
>V-sign) since the two fingers used are the bowstring-pulling fingers
>and the bowmen would taunt the French by holding them up in derision!

That's because the French would cut off the bow string fingers of
any archers they caught.  So those who had them would taunt them
with it.

This also lead to the expression "Pluck Yew"

I get a feeling like deja vu, but I think it was another mailing
list I went over this on...

 And he took the stars in his hands
 and as he scattered them he'd shout:
 "I'm the Joker of the Universe!
  I'm What it's all about!"

  - "The Great Sun Jester"
   by Blue Öyster Cult (Eric Bloom, Michael Moorcock)

-AAA