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The one fingere salute

PostPosted: Sat Oct 17, 2015 5:36 am
by smartarse
Where the expression of giving the one fingered salute originated?
I was telling my 89 year old gramps about a ruck I had with my pa earlier that day and how it ended with me giving a one fingered salute as I stormed off.
My grampa was in the navy in the war and part of his duties was to fire off depth charges
These devices were jettisoned via a rolling mechanism into the ocean with purpose of destroying enemy Uboats.
Quite often a sailor would get a digit trapped in the firing chain and as the charge was thrown into the water the trapped finger would follow.
Thereby giving the enemy the finger and giving rise to the saying giving the finger :yes :applause