hey he has his own sitcom a comedy called time gentleman please the 2 season i think it was series is available on als youtube iyou should react to that
Micky Flanagan is a funny guy too :) Sarah Millican has some good stand up comedy. They both have accents that can be hard for non-natives to England but I'm sure you'll be fine hehe x
Two fingers are essentially the same as the middle finger (basically telling the person to F off). The legend behind it goes back to England going to war with France. The archers and bowmen who were captured had two fingers removed to stop then shooting arrows again. Before a battle soldiers would wave two fingers at the enemy to show that they hadn’t been caught.
@@dmbassett there is an illustration from the medieval period that shows an archer holding up his fingers at the enemy. Its a picture from the diebold schilling chronicles at the bibliotheque de la bourgeoisie de berne. I only recently found this out because I watched a video on it on a UA-cam channel called the history squad. I know it's only an illustration but I guess it holds quite a bit of truth in it as many things have been documented by illustration
Hey King Boomer, 2 fingers origin - I'm Luvin your work btw. I'm a Brit from Manchester, England... We defeated the French in 1415 at the Battle of Agincourt, in northern France. We had developed a particular style of Bow to fire our Arrows called the 'Longbow' They fired arrows over extremely long distances with extreme accuracy so the Brits could make kills before the French Bowmen could get anywhere near us. When they captured us they cut off two fingers to prevent us from being able to use a Longbow. The British would hold two fingers up in the air at the French in defiance to show the two bowing fingers had not been removed, so therefore had not been captured, and was able to continue killing the French with his Longbow. Over time this insult eventually became known to symbolise "Fuck Off" - which is exactly what the two-finger sign means in Britain, and it only means this specifically, and that my friend, is its exact origin and etymology. My pleasure!
Are you sure you're not secretly British?..... I've not seen any other American reactors laugh as much as you do to him. You just seem to get his humour. I doff my cap Sir.
He doesn’t get everything but something that he gets way more than other Americans is when the joke isn’t explained. A lot of American reactors are there asking questions about what the implication of the joke is but this guy gets where the joke is. Really helpful when watching gavin and Stacey
He’s doing well - I literally can’t understand half of what this guy is even saying and I’m Australian. His accents is much stronger than most British comedians I’m used to 😂
As someone pointed out in another comment, you are one of the very few Americans who not only seems to understand British comedians, but actually enjoys and laughs at their jokes. It's great fun watching your reactions. Keep up the good work. 🙂
The two finger "salute" is the same as the US middle finger. The story is (it may even be true) that longbow archers were so deadly against the French that, if captured, the French used to cut the two fingers off so the archers could not fight again. Before a battle the British used to put two fingers up at the French army to show they were ready to fight.
The two-finger salute goes back to long-bow archers. The archers used to show their two-pulling fingers to the enemy because the French usually cut off the archer's two fingers if captured. Churchill used the two-finger salute as an insult to Hitler. He later reversed it when we had a victory.
If you ever hear a Scot in full rant mode on the streets, it is both terrifying and hilarious at the same time. Almost all of the anger is from the teeth out. Two minutes later there your best friend again. 😂
Christian bale, said, on record you can watch, that he'll go on the front line if Britain ever gets invaded. I'd easily go back too. It simply can't be attacked. If it ever was, it's the end
Two fingers comes from the 100 years war with the French when English archers regularly beat the crap out of the French , and the two fingers was a gesture to mock them , the two fingers being those used to draw the bow .
Don't miss York, the 'northern jewel' which is the best destination the UK has for visitors wanting a full-on British experience. Give yourself a minimum of 2 full days (sleep there for 3 nights) to have the time to walk to all the attractions. Jorvik Viking Exhibition, York Minster, the medieval city walls, the Shambles, National Railway Museum, these are just the beginning of a long list. Founded in 71 AD, its history dates from the Roman occupation.
@@judecash6918 York itself is the "Northern Jewel". A city that dates back to Roman times and still has part of the walls built by the Romans. A Viking stronghold at various times. Home to the beautiful York Minster, the city's cathedral. As a Brit I find it a great place to visit. For a foreign visitor, especially an American, it would be mind blowing.
showing the two fingers comes originally from the middle ages. Captured archers would have there two fingers cut off if captured sometimes and the ones who got away would stand at the castle gates demonstrating that they still have there two fingers, needed to stretch the bowstring, which in order made the soldiers and the gates angry.
Hi, I am from the UK. The two fingers harks back to English Archers displaying to the enemy (usually the French) that they could draw a bow. It the Archers were captured they would have a finger cut off to take them out of battle. But it does mean F off now.
English archers would give 2 fingers to enemy archers it's the fingers that draw the bow string back Also if captured they would cut off them 2 fingers
Mate, you were asking where the 2 fingers comes from. It stems from the battle of Agincourt. When the French caught a British archer they would chop of their 2 fingers they used to pull the bow. The British used to raise their 2 fingers as a taunt that they still had theirs. This is history though and it has evolved over time to be exactly as you said; it’s the same as the middle finger. Dave
The two fingers come from the french taunting the british archers in the 100 years war. When captured, the french would cut the two fingers away so the insult could only go one way. Without their two fingers, they couldn't shoot a bow. The middle was a british taunt to the french because they couldnt shoot their muskets without their middle finger.
In the squabbles between the mighty English and the work shy peasants of France, the English used to cut off those two fingers of French archers so they couldn't fire the bow. Essentially, it's mocking as we still have our fingers and the English longbow was a feared weapon that every Englishman had to train with weekly by law.
The v sign is basicly the same as your one finger but originated in olden times when a bowman was taken prisoner his two ' bow string fingers were cut off' as punishment.
The 2 fingers thing comes from the 100 years war against the French, English longbow men were hated by the French because of their devastating effect on the battlefield so when they caught longbow men they cut off the 2 fingers they used to draw the bow so englishmen gave the 2 finger salute in defiance to the french showing they still had their fingers.
It's kinda been said before, but..... The "two finger" thing comes from hundreds of years ago, in the days of bows 'n' arrows. If you captured an enemy, you would cut their "bow fingers" off. So.... sticking your 2 fingers up is a sign of defiance and/or victory.
I can go along with the german bit.....I used to work at Duxford IWM, and we were rebuilding a German aircraft. We had the pilots notes, and the first line stated that "The pilot will sit in the front seat at the controls"..🙂
The two fingers up comes from the story that English soldiers waved their fingers at French soldiers who had threatened to cut off captured English archer's first two fingers to prevent them from shooting arrows. Thus the English boasting that they were still capable of doing so during the battle of Agincourt in the year 1415.. PS English archer's used the longbow and was mandated by King Edward 111 that every adult men had to practice on every feast day Sunday and holiday, Therefore by law, every English man able to do so had to take part in the practice. Which was started in the year 1285 by King Edward 1, Archery targets were set up in every English town as part of the 1285 'Satute of Winchester'.
The two fingers originated with the English longbow men to show the French they could draw a bow because if they were captured the bow fingers were cut off ...nowadays it means fxxx off
Tradition has it that at The Battle Of Agincourt the French cut English archers fingers off so by showing two fingers means they’re still active or in other words eff off.
Supposedly the two fingered solute was given by the English army to the French army at the battle of Agincourt, though it could be a myth. The legend goes that if the French captured the English archers on the battlefield they would chop off those two fingers to stop them from being able to fire a bow and arrow. So the English archers would stick those two fingers up at the French as a challenge.
As always enjoyed your reactions.the two fingers thing goes back to the battle of Agincourt where English fought the french.apparrently when the French caught English archers instead of killing them they cut off the two fingers they used for archery.in response when archers were fighting the French they stuck up two fingers to show they had not had them cut off.hope this helps.love from Scotland.
The 2 fingered salute as it’s called originated back in the days when bow men were used in wars..the french would capture English bow men and cut off the index and middle finger so they won’t be able to pull back a bow string and fire any more arrows…so the English would give the 2 fingered salute to the french to show they still had 2 fingers. That ended up as a sign similar to giving the middle finger..love your reactions dude
Al murray's live shows around the UK are usually sold out very quickly. He is also a very knowledgeable enthusiast of history, apart from his humour. C'ant wait to see him on tour, in May.
Hi Martin, i'm German and i've seen lots of pub landlord material with anti-German rants and stereotypes. On the other hand, Al Murray has made one of the most sensible and knowledgeable descriptions of my country i have ever seen from a foreigner ua-cam.com/video/4iX0ZdX1i2w/v-deo.html Brilliant stuff from a great guy!
On an historical note, the two fingers with the palm facing towards the person is an insult, the same as the " middle finger". It originates in medieval times when captured bowmen ( predominantly Welsh) would have the index and next finger cut off to stop them operating the bow. So.. in battle the Welsh and English archers after shooting their arrows would " flick the V's" as a mocking gesture to the enemy (;usually the French) that they still have those important fingers needed to fire the bow string. The two fingers with the palm facing away is a gesture of victory and is not an insult, but a sign of determined confidence in victory AKA Churchill.
It reportedly comes from the 100 years war when the French threatened the British archers with cutting off the two fingers so they couldn't draw their bows so the archers stuck them up to show derision to the loosing French armies
Regarding the 2 fingers insult, the myth about it relating to medieval archers is rubnish as it was invented in the 70s. The gesture is actual thought to have the same origin as giving the middle finger (to "shove it" up your arse, which goes back to ancient greece), giving 2 fingers was usually followed by the phrase "up yours". So, basically, it is the same as flipping people off but for ease we use 2 fingers rather than 1
I have never watched someone watching TV/Video (before now) but it just shows just how similar the world is without the powerful playing us against each other. This is the kind of video that bridges the gap and good luck with your future videos pal I will be watching.
Yeah the V is like the middle finger but you can be more expressive with it. Also it has to be the outside of the fingers out. If your palm faces out it’s the Peace or Victory sign. Sometimes it’s an insulting V for Victory sign with the outside of the fingers out.
Its alegerly comes from the field of battle as archers had the two fingers chopped of by the French so they could no longer pull back their bow strings and by showing them raised was an act of defiance.
The 'UK isn't England' and the 'America is a continent' people should all be shipped off to live on an island together so the rest of us don't have to hear it. We'll call it Pedant Land and split it up into areas which are really complicated, so they can correct each other all the time. They'll love it.
The 2 fingered salute just means 'fuck off'. It is derived from dark age wars when the enemy would cut of an archers bow fingers. The salute was a taunt to them to show they still have the fingers.
True but its actually a myth. The French would simply cut off the hand, as cutting off two fingers doesn't stop someone using a bow. One could simply use a specially made hook or the other fingers and thumb. It was a myth started by Yorkshire TV in the 1970's for a documentary. Makes for a good story though doesn't it.
It comes from us fighting with the French back in the day. We had awesome longbow archers. If the French troops captured an archer they cut those two fingers off so they couldn’t draw the bow. We stick those fingers up today to say F’Koff. Back then it was a taunt to the French by our archers that they still had their fingers
I've never seen this section of the show before, so thanks. I guess I owe you a sub. Nice to see you guys across the pond enjoying our humour (yes, that is how it's spelt ;-) Just remember that pretty much nothing is sacred in British humour. We like to laugh at ourselves so don't be offended when we laugh at you (you clearly aren't). I was going to quote it but instead you should check out Stephen Fry, the difference between British and American humour. It's an amusing video, maybe worth a reaction from you. See if you agree with him.
The reason Brits give 2 fingers is actually quite historical. In the times when we used to fight with archers, any archer caught would have their 2 fingers cut off that they used to draw the bow. The archers who were uncaptured and still with the British armies would hold up the two fingers as a gesture and overtime became to be an insult. Agincourt was one battle where this is alleged to have happened.
English/Welsh longbowmen had been warned by the French during wars in 14th century that if caught the bow mens draw fingers (2 middle finger) would be cut off to prevent the pulling of a bow gain..
Great fun, as always KB. May I also suggest what (imho) is one of Al Murray's funniest sketches - The Secretary sketch. It's been out quite a while but it certainly is a classic.
That was one of the funniest reactions I've ever watched, I'm a Brit myself, and Al Murray is awesome I've not laughed so much in ages my eyes won't stop watering love it so much. USA hell sounds amusing Scottish hell is scary as hell.
OK so.. Long story short. the two fingers basically means "f you", it comes from when the English used to capture a prolific bowman (Welsh, french) they would cut off the two bowstring fingers so they could draw a bow anymore. Sidenote: The letter F in sign language is signalled with the right hand index and middle finger placed onto an open left hand. Also a case of a middle finger means "pìss off" would mean only one draw finger taken, the index (minor offence)
teo fingers of the V's since after WW2 has literally meant Fukk Off ! winston Churchill used it as V for victory byt its always been our primary insult, in some countries a Thumbs up means the same, so be careful
Not only is al murray totally hilarious he's actually really highly educated and i think went to private school, its why hes so clever with history,the guys brilliant
The middle finger solute originated from British archers when the french chartering British archers the French cut thither fingers off so they wouldn't be able to fire bows and arrows any moor the British pointed tithe fingers up at the french saying we still have our fingers left that is where it originated from up at the french saying we still have our fingers pointed at the french that is where the middle finger salute came from.
The two finger salute goes back to when Henry v fought the French at the battle of agincourt,the Welsh archers use two fingers on the bow,and the French army threatened to cut off their fingers,so the Welsh archers stuck two fingers up at them.
The two fingers goes back to the Anglo French wars in the middle ages, the French would cut the 2 fingers off of the English Archers if they were captured.
It depends which way round the 2 fingers are. If the palm of your hand is facing towards you, it means 'fuck off'. If the palm is facing outward, it means V for victory, Churchills famous sign.
Depends which way round the hand is. If you show 2 fingers with the back of the hand towards the recipient, that is has been said, a sign that goes back to the hundred years war, and later as an equivalent to "The bird". If the signal is given with the palm toward the recipient, it simply implies Victory.....as per Winston Churchill in WW2.
It's origin comes from English archers, who used to give that insult "2 fingers" because if they were caught, they would chop off those 2 fingers. It was to show the French that they still had them.
Two finger salute originated from wars between england and france , the english ,so good with a bow ,on capture by the french would have their bow fingers chopped off . When facing the enemy english archers would put two fingers up to the french .
The two finger solute is the same as flipping the bird. It is said that it originated in Medieval times where enemies of the British archers would cut of their string fingers if they were captured, so in defiance of the enemy they would show their two fingers.
Raised Catholic too! Your so right those services last hours! But went to Ireland to have my children baptised, what a miracle priest just skipped most of service saying it was “Awful long winded” got out in 20 minutes, back to pub buying priest a large whiskey( Irish of course) 😂😂👍♥️
Famously Churchill used to hold up two fingers with the knuckles as in V for victory until an aid told him that it would more polite to hold up the V with the palm forward. When I was in the RAF in the Sarajevo war the Croatians again used their version of the V same as Churchill. Strange eh?
If you ever want to a long one al murry making a mockery of democracy is one of the best lectures iv ever seen. Its about when he ran for parliament. Just genius
The two-fingered salute in its vulgar F-Off form is nowadays given with the back of the hand facing the intended recipient of the insult, usually with a vigorous upward movement of the hand. In the UK it is much more offensive than the middle finger 'up yours' sign (perhaps because two fingers being bigger than one make the offensiveness greater). The 'V for Victory' variant from the Second World War, as popularised by Winston Churchill, is given with the palm of the hand towards the recipient, and with a gentle side-to-side wave. Initially there was confusion as to whether Churchill was actually using the F-Off version (I have seen one photo where it is clear that he is), but, perhaps because the French were allies, the practice of giving it palm-out was soon adopted, and has persisted. After all, it is not an insult but rather a happy 'we have all won together (against evil and injustice)' message. Very woke!
The two fingers is like the one finger, but the two fingers comes from when the English were fighting the French with bows and arrows. The French were cutting off the english archers fingers so they couldn't fire their bows. When the English hold up the two fingers, they are the archery fingers, to pull the arrow back. So they were saying to the French "still got my fingers" after they beat them in the war.
The two fingers comes from the war with French. When British archers was captured the French would cut off a two fingers. So when two fingers are stuck up in a v it’s just British telling French we still got our fingers. Kinda like the middle finger
You should check out Lee Evans, he is just mental on stage with his energy. BTW, the two finger insult comes from the many wars we have had against the French, where if archers were captured by the enemy on either side, they would have those fingers cut off so they couldn’t shoot their bow anymore. The other soldiers would stick up their fingers like that to the enemy as an insult basically like “You lot are shit, I still have my fingers”
The 2 fingered salute is basically a softer version of the middle finger🖕. It was rumoured to be from when we archers, the enemies would cut off those 2 fingers if a archer was captured, so the archers would do that V symbol to the enemies as an insult.... But that has been proven untrue so I have no idea were it really came from lol
I would say the two finger version is *_much_* stronger than just the middle finger, which is an everyday sign of annoyance and is even used by little old ladies. People generally ignore the 'up yours', but the F-Off will cause fights.
The reason he was behaving turned on for the Dutch accent is because Amsterdam is a notorious destination for British stag do's where its no secret what will happen. Legalised weed and prostitution.
No one one really knows where two fingers came from, I'd suggest it might be the inverse of the two fingers in reverse. which means peace, thus the other way round is war.
they wouldn't let me tell what two fingers mean so it's a 4 letter word beginning in f and ending k and a three letter word beginning in o and ending in f
The two fingers go back to the battle of agincourt in the 1400's. The french would cut off english archers fingers, to stop them firing the bows. The english soldiers responded with the 2 finger salute to prove they could still fight. In ww2 churchill used it as the v for victory sign. However, since then the 2 finger salute with palm facing out is for victory, the 2 fingers with back of hand forward means fu*k off.
The two finger thing is basically the middle finger but it came from archers having there finger removed way back so you showed them you still have yours in that way
"Two fingers salute" means "up yours". Lots will say it hails from the days when we fought the French with our longbow men who could outshoot their French opposition distance wise and kill from a further distance. These two fingers are what would draw the string to fire the bow, it was rumoured that if the French caught an English bowman they would cut these two fingers off. So in battle to taunt the French they would waggle their fingers at the French to prove they still had their ability to kill them.
It's a myth. Sticking two fingers up originated with Churchill during WW2. He was forming a letter V symbolising his V For Victory campaign. It became a sign of defiance. In the early 70s the story about English archers at Agincourt was fabricated by a journalist. Think about it, why would the French cut two fingers off an archer when it's much easier to kill him?
I believe Al Murray is a professor of history. It's an insult the 2 fingers. It started with us beating the French knights in battle. The English bowmen stuck their 2 fingers towards the French knights to show they were still alive. That's how it started.
The two fingers, allegedly, goes back to English archers showing the French they still had their two fingers to fire their arrows. The French chopped off the index and middle finger of captured English archers. It’s now similar to the middle finger swivel
Regarding the two finger salute: further to the references made that archers waved their fingers to the French, it was also a favourite gesture of Winston Churchill's as a sign of 'V' for Vitory.
Except when used as the sign for victory, the hand is turned around. In other words with the palm facing the direction of the people it is being directed at.
The two fingers or sticking the vees up (v) is just the same as saying fuck off. It is said it comes from wars between England and France . When the French captured an archer they would cut the two fingers off so he couldn't draw s bow again. The English archers when attacking the French would taunt them by sticking two fingers up.
The two-fingered V sign is a show of affection in the UK, and it means I love British people. That is why a lot of people across the world put up a two-fingered salute to the British flag. I think it was the Welsh who started it after they showed the English their new longbows. The English shouted "Thanks old chaps, we'll use them against the French", and the Welsh saluted back with the now-famous V salute. You should try it out the next time you see a British person.
Hello everyone! Drop new British comedian suggestions here! I’ll try to make time to check them out!
hey he has his own sitcom a comedy called time gentleman please the 2 season i think it was series is available on als youtube iyou should react to that
Micky Flanagan is a funny guy too :) Sarah Millican has some good stand up comedy. They both have accents that can be hard for non-natives to England but I'm sure you'll be fine hehe x
Have you seen Fawlty towers ? Especially the one where the hotel has German guests ?
ua-cam.com/video/yfl6Lu3xQW0/v-deo.html
For the best 1 liners look at Milton Jones and Gary Delaney. Also (long time living in UK) Canadian Stuart Francis
Two fingers are essentially the same as the middle finger (basically telling the person to F off).
The legend behind it goes back to England going to war with France. The archers and bowmen who were captured had two fingers removed to stop then shooting arrows again. Before a battle soldiers would wave two fingers at the enemy to show that they hadn’t been caught.
Welsh Archers ;-)
Although this story is a little un-proven…
@@dmbassett ahh, I didn’t realise they were Welsh, I just knew they weren’t Scottish 😀 cheers.
It was after the battle the English put their bow fingers up to the French.
@@dmbassett there is an illustration from the medieval period that shows an archer holding up his fingers at the enemy. Its a picture from the diebold schilling chronicles at the bibliotheque de la bourgeoisie de berne. I only recently found this out because I watched a video on it on a UA-cam channel called the history squad. I know it's only an illustration but I guess it holds quite a bit of truth in it as many things have been documented by illustration
Hey King Boomer, 2 fingers origin - I'm Luvin your work btw. I'm a Brit from Manchester, England... We defeated the French in 1415 at the Battle of Agincourt, in northern France. We had developed a particular style of Bow to fire our Arrows called the 'Longbow' They fired arrows over extremely long distances with extreme accuracy so the Brits could make kills before the French Bowmen could get anywhere near us. When they captured us they cut off two fingers to prevent us from being able to use a Longbow. The British would hold two fingers up in the air at the French in defiance to show the two bowing fingers had not been removed, so therefore had not been captured, and was able to continue killing the French with his Longbow. Over time this insult eventually became known to symbolise "Fuck Off" - which is exactly what the two-finger sign means in Britain, and it only means this specifically, and that my friend, is its exact origin and etymology. My pleasure!
Well said, and spot on... like the Longbow is. I think that is the same battle where by the term 'cheese eating surrender monkeys' comes from.
Thanx4 that, we learn, we learn 😊
Are you sure you're not secretly British?..... I've not seen any other American reactors laugh as much as you do to him. You just seem to get his humour. I doff my cap Sir.
I promise I’m not lol
It's true though . The other American reactions are all great, but a lot goes over their heads 😆
He doesn’t get everything but something that he gets way more than other Americans is when the joke isn’t explained. A lot of American reactors are there asking questions about what the implication of the joke is but this guy gets where the joke is. Really helpful when watching gavin and Stacey
He’s doing well - I literally can’t understand half of what this guy is even saying and I’m Australian. His accents is much stronger than most British comedians I’m used to 😂
@@KingBoomer Do you secretly wish you were though bruv? ;D
As someone pointed out in another comment, you are one of the very few Americans who not only seems to understand British comedians, but actually enjoys and laughs at their jokes. It's great fun watching your reactions. Keep up the good work. 🙂
The two finger "salute" is the same as the US middle finger. The story is (it may even be true) that longbow archers were so deadly against the French that, if captured, the French used to cut the two fingers off so the archers could not fight again. Before a battle the British used to put two fingers up at the French army to show they were ready to fight.
@@columbmurray it is probably a myth anyway in whatever form it is. Pity, because it's a fun one. Do you know where the US single finger comes from?
The uk invented that too
@@stevegray1308 yeah it comes from the uk
I believe it was the English archers
The two-finger salute goes back to long-bow archers. The archers used to show their two-pulling fingers to the enemy because the French usually cut off the archer's two fingers if captured. Churchill used the two-finger salute as an insult to Hitler. He later reversed it when we had a victory.
If you ever hear a Scot in full rant mode on the streets, it is both terrifying and hilarious at the same time.
Almost all of the anger is from the teeth out.
Two minutes later there your best friend again. 😂
Christian bale, said, on record you can watch, that he'll go on the front line if Britain ever gets invaded. I'd easily go back too. It simply can't be attacked. If it ever was, it's the end
Romans.
Saxons, Angles, Jutes, etc.
Danelaw.
1066.
1688.
You missed the "50p for a cup a tea" at the end of the Scottish bit. That made me laugh.
Two fingers comes from the 100 years war with the French when English archers regularly beat the crap out of the French , and the two fingers was a gesture to mock them , the two fingers being those used to draw the bow .
I'm impressed you understood the accent! Fair play to you!
Don't miss York, the 'northern jewel' which is the best destination the UK has for visitors wanting a full-on British experience. Give yourself a minimum of 2 full days (sleep there for 3 nights) to have the time to walk to all the attractions. Jorvik Viking Exhibition, York Minster, the medieval city walls, the Shambles, National Railway Museum, these are just the beginning of a long list. Founded in 71 AD, its history dates from the Roman occupation.
#calibri49 what is the 'northern jewel' in the UK near York?do u mean The Angel of the North?I really dont mean 2 b rude.serious question xxxx
@@judecash6918 York itself is the "Northern Jewel".
A city that dates back to Roman times and still has part of the walls built by the Romans. A Viking stronghold at various times. Home to the beautiful York Minster, the city's cathedral.
As a Brit I find it a great place to visit. For a foreign visitor, especially an American, it would be mind blowing.
The walls are Roman.
and good boozers!
I concur! I lived in York for 12 years. It’s a beautiful city!
showing the two fingers comes originally from the middle ages. Captured archers would have there two fingers cut off if captured sometimes and the ones who got away would stand at the castle gates demonstrating that they still have there two fingers, needed to stretch the bowstring, which in order made the soldiers and the gates angry.
Hi, I am from the UK. The two fingers harks back to English Archers displaying to the enemy (usually the French) that they could draw a bow. It the Archers were captured they would have a finger cut off to take them out of battle. But it does mean F off now.
The two fingers where cut off the archers when they where captured by the enemy, so the stuck up the fingers to show they still had them
Two fingers up was a sign of victory in the war days, now it just means ''fuck off'' basically ;-)
English archers would give 2 fingers to enemy archers it's the fingers that draw the bow string back
Also if captured they would cut off them 2 fingers
Mate, you were asking where the 2 fingers comes from. It stems from the battle of Agincourt. When the French caught a British archer they would chop of their 2 fingers they used to pull the bow. The British used to raise their 2 fingers as a taunt that they still had theirs. This is history though and it has evolved over time to be exactly as you said; it’s the same as the middle finger. Dave
The two fingers come from the french taunting the british archers in the 100 years war. When captured, the french would cut the two fingers away so the insult could only go one way. Without their two fingers, they couldn't shoot a bow. The middle was a british taunt to the french because they couldnt shoot their muskets without their middle finger.
In the squabbles between the mighty English and the work shy peasants of France, the English used to cut off those two fingers of French archers so they couldn't fire the bow. Essentially, it's mocking as we still have our fingers and the English longbow was a feared weapon that every Englishman had to train with weekly by law.
You really seem to get our humour kudos to you.
The v sign is basicly the same as your one finger but originated in olden times when a bowman was taken prisoner his two ' bow string fingers were cut off' as punishment.
The 2 fingers thing comes from the 100 years war against the French, English longbow men were hated by the French because of their devastating effect on the battlefield so when they caught longbow men they cut off the 2 fingers they used to draw the bow so englishmen gave the 2 finger salute in defiance to the french showing they still had their fingers.
It's kinda been said before, but.....
The "two finger" thing comes from hundreds of years ago, in the days of bows 'n' arrows.
If you captured an enemy, you would cut their "bow fingers" off. So.... sticking your 2 fingers up is a sign of defiance and/or victory.
I can go along with the german bit.....I used to work at Duxford IWM, and we were rebuilding a German aircraft. We had the pilots notes, and the first line stated that "The pilot will sit in the front seat at the controls"..🙂
The two fingers up comes from the story that English soldiers waved their fingers at French soldiers who had threatened to cut off captured English archer's first two fingers to prevent them from shooting arrows. Thus the English boasting that they were still capable of doing so during the battle of Agincourt in the year 1415..
PS English archer's used the longbow and was mandated by King Edward 111 that every adult men had to practice on every feast day Sunday and holiday,
Therefore by law, every English man able to do so had to take part in the practice.
Which was started in the year 1285 by King Edward 1, Archery targets were set up in every English town as part of the 1285 'Satute of Winchester'.
Good morning. The "backward", peace sign just means f.ck off. Now I'm going to watch the rest of this.😊
The two fingers originated with the English longbow men to show the French they could draw a bow because if they were captured the bow fingers were cut off ...nowadays it means fxxx off
Great reaction video.Thumbs up from Scotland.
Tradition has it that at The Battle Of Agincourt the French cut English archers fingers off so by showing two fingers means they’re still active or in other words eff off.
Supposedly the two fingered solute was given by the English army to the French army at the battle of Agincourt, though it could be a myth. The legend goes that if the French captured the English archers on the battlefield they would chop off those two fingers to stop them from being able to fire a bow and arrow. So the English archers would stick those two fingers up at the French as a challenge.
As always enjoyed your reactions.the two fingers thing goes back to the battle of Agincourt where English fought the french.apparrently when the French caught English archers instead of killing them they cut off the two fingers they used for archery.in response when archers were fighting the French they stuck up two fingers to show they had not had them cut off.hope this helps.love from Scotland.
True
The 2 fingered salute as it’s called originated back in the days when bow men were used in wars..the french would capture English bow men and cut off the index and middle finger so they won’t be able to pull back a bow string and fire any more arrows…so the English would give the 2 fingered salute to the french to show they still had 2 fingers. That ended up as a sign similar to giving the middle finger..love your reactions dude
Al murray's live shows around the UK are usually sold out very quickly. He is also a very knowledgeable enthusiast of history, apart from his humour. C'ant wait to see him on tour, in May.
Hi Martin, i'm German and i've seen lots of pub landlord material with anti-German rants and stereotypes. On the other hand, Al Murray has made one of the most sensible and knowledgeable descriptions of my country i have ever seen from a foreigner
ua-cam.com/video/4iX0ZdX1i2w/v-deo.html
Brilliant stuff from a great guy!
On an historical note, the two fingers with the palm facing towards the person is an insult, the same as the " middle finger". It originates in medieval times when captured bowmen ( predominantly Welsh) would have the index and next finger cut off to stop them operating the bow. So.. in battle the Welsh and English archers after shooting their arrows would " flick the V's" as a mocking gesture to the enemy (;usually the French) that they still have those important fingers needed to fire the bow string. The two fingers with the palm facing away is a gesture of victory and is not an insult, but a sign of determined confidence in victory AKA Churchill.
The two finger salute comes from The Battle of Agencourt and was celebrated when an archer killed an enemy with the two fingers that pulled the bow.
It reportedly comes from the 100 years war when the French threatened the British archers with cutting off the two fingers so they couldn't draw their bows so the archers stuck them up to show derision to the loosing French armies
Regarding the 2 fingers insult, the myth about it relating to medieval archers is rubnish as it was invented in the 70s. The gesture is actual thought to have the same origin as giving the middle finger (to "shove it" up your arse, which goes back to ancient greece), giving 2 fingers was usually followed by the phrase "up yours". So, basically, it is the same as flipping people off but for ease we use 2 fingers rather than 1
I have never watched someone watching TV/Video (before now) but it just shows just how similar the world is without the powerful playing us against each other. This is the kind of video that bridges the gap and good luck with your future videos pal I will be watching.
Yeah the V is like the middle finger but you can be more expressive with it. Also it has to be the outside of the fingers out. If your palm faces out it’s the Peace or Victory sign.
Sometimes it’s an insulting V for Victory sign with the outside of the fingers out.
Its alegerly comes from the field of battle as archers had the two fingers chopped of by the French so they could no longer pull back their bow strings and by showing them raised was an act of defiance.
The 'UK isn't England' and the 'America is a continent' people should all be shipped off to live on an island together so the rest of us don't have to hear it. We'll call it Pedant Land and split it up into areas which are really complicated, so they can correct each other all the time. They'll love it.
The 2 fingered salute just means 'fuck off'. It is derived from dark age wars when the enemy would cut of an archers bow fingers. The salute was a taunt to them to show they still have the fingers.
True but its actually a myth. The French would simply cut off the hand, as cutting off two fingers doesn't stop someone using a bow. One could simply use a specially made hook or the other fingers and thumb. It was a myth started by Yorkshire TV in the 1970's for a documentary. Makes for a good story though doesn't it.
Bro, I really liked your reaction, you laughed in the right places and understood the skit real quick, for a yank....nice one Breda.
Imagine an Al Murray v Billy Connolly Comedy face off. I would pay to see that!!
I am going to see him on the 30th April .
It comes from us fighting with the French back in the day. We had awesome longbow archers. If the French troops captured an archer they cut those two fingers off so they couldn’t draw the bow. We stick those fingers up today to say F’Koff. Back then it was a taunt to the French by our archers that they still had their fingers
Awesome jersey first up. Going church being little seemed it did go forever I felt like it would never end
I've never seen this section of the show before, so thanks. I guess I owe you a sub.
Nice to see you guys across the pond enjoying our humour (yes, that is how it's spelt ;-)
Just remember that pretty much nothing is sacred in British humour. We like to laugh at ourselves so don't be offended when we laugh at you (you clearly aren't).
I was going to quote it but instead you should check out Stephen Fry, the difference between British and American humour. It's an amusing video, maybe worth a reaction from you.
See if you agree with him.
The reason Brits give 2 fingers is actually quite historical. In the times when we used to fight with archers, any archer caught would have their 2 fingers cut off that they used to draw the bow. The archers who were uncaptured and still with the British armies would hold up the two fingers as a gesture and overtime became to be an insult. Agincourt was one battle where this is alleged to have happened.
English/Welsh longbowmen had been warned by the French during wars in 14th century that if caught the bow mens draw fingers (2 middle finger) would be cut off to prevent the pulling of a bow gain..
Great fun, as always KB. May I also suggest what (imho) is one of Al Murray's funniest sketches - The Secretary sketch. It's been out quite a while but it certainly is a classic.
That was one of the funniest reactions I've ever watched, I'm a Brit myself, and Al Murray is awesome I've not laughed so much in ages my eyes won't stop watering love it so much. USA hell sounds amusing Scottish hell is scary as hell.
OK so.. Long story short. the two fingers basically means "f you", it comes from when the English used to capture a prolific bowman (Welsh, french) they would cut off the two bowstring fingers so they could draw a bow anymore. Sidenote: The letter F in sign language is signalled with the right hand index and middle finger placed onto an open left hand. Also a case of a middle finger means "pìss off" would mean only one draw finger taken, the index (minor offence)
teo fingers of the V's since after WW2 has literally meant Fukk Off ! winston Churchill used it as V for victory byt its always been our primary insult, in some countries a Thumbs up means the same, so be careful
Not only is al murray totally hilarious he's actually really highly educated and i think went to private school, its why hes so clever with history,the guys brilliant
The middle finger solute originated from British archers when the french chartering British archers the French cut thither fingers off so they wouldn't be able to fire bows and arrows any moor the British pointed tithe fingers up at the french saying we still have our fingers left that is where it originated from up at the french saying we still have our fingers pointed at the french that is where the middle finger salute came from.
The German comment I think was him just saying ‘they always just follow orders’
Two fingers showing means "Up Yours", lol. It goes back hundreds of years.
It's one down from flipping the bird. 🏴🇬🇧
The two finger salute goes back to when Henry v fought the French at the battle of agincourt,the Welsh archers use two fingers on the bow,and the French army threatened to cut off their fingers,so the Welsh archers stuck two fingers up at them.
That’s a myth unfortunately.
The two fingers goes back to the Anglo French wars in the middle ages, the French would cut the 2 fingers off of the English Archers if they were captured.
It depends which way round the 2 fingers are. If the palm of your hand is facing towards you, it means 'fuck off'. If the palm is facing outward, it means V for victory, Churchills famous sign.
Depends which way round the hand is. If you show 2 fingers with the back of the hand towards the recipient, that is has been said, a sign that goes back to the hundred years war, and later as an equivalent to "The bird". If the signal is given with the palm toward the recipient, it simply implies Victory.....as per Winston Churchill in WW2.
It's origin comes from English archers, who used to give that insult "2 fingers" because if they were caught, they would chop off those 2 fingers. It was to show the French that they still had them.
Two finger salute originated from wars between england and france , the english ,so good with a bow ,on capture by the french would have their bow fingers chopped off . When facing the enemy english archers would put two fingers up to the french .
Try some Mock the week scenes we’d like to see. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.
The two finger solute is the same as flipping the bird. It is said that it originated in Medieval times where enemies of the British archers would cut of their string fingers if they were captured, so in defiance of the enemy they would show their two fingers.
You should check out the clip «Secretary» with Al Murray. Good banter with some ladies in the audience 😂👍
Raised Catholic too! Your so right those services last hours!
But went to Ireland to have my children baptised, what a miracle priest just skipped most of service saying it was
“Awful long winded” got out in 20 minutes, back to pub buying priest a large whiskey( Irish of course)
😂😂👍♥️
Famously Churchill used to hold up two fingers with the knuckles as in V for victory until an aid told him that it would more polite to hold up the V with the palm forward. When I was in the RAF in the Sarajevo war the Croatians again used their version of the V same as Churchill. Strange eh?
Had the pleasure of seeing Al live at the Edinburgh Festival. Stay away from the first 4 or 5 rows. He might pick on you! 🤣🤣🤣
If you ever want to a long one al murry making a mockery of democracy is one of the best lectures iv ever seen. Its about when he ran for parliament. Just genius
two fingers mean a four letter word beginning with an f and ending with a k and a three letter word beginning with o and ending in f
Middle finger "the bird" two Fingers "the v" both along the lines of the same idea..
The two-fingered salute in its vulgar F-Off form is nowadays given with the back of the hand facing the intended recipient of the insult, usually with a vigorous upward movement of the hand. In the UK it is much more offensive than the middle finger 'up yours' sign (perhaps because two fingers being bigger than one make the offensiveness greater).
The 'V for Victory' variant from the Second World War, as popularised by Winston Churchill, is given with the palm of the hand towards the recipient, and with a gentle side-to-side wave. Initially there was confusion as to whether Churchill was actually using the F-Off version (I have seen one photo where it is clear that he is), but, perhaps because the French were allies, the practice of giving it palm-out was soon adopted, and has persisted. After all, it is not an insult but rather a happy 'we have all won together (against evil and injustice)' message. Very woke!
Has anyone mentioned Billy Connolly. Very funny Scots comedian
Two fingers is the same as the idle finger
The two fingers is like the one finger, but the two fingers comes from when the English were fighting the French with bows and arrows.
The French were cutting off the english archers fingers so they couldn't fire their bows.
When the English hold up the two fingers, they are the archery fingers, to pull the arrow back.
So they were saying to the French "still got my fingers" after they beat them in the war.
The two fingers comes from the war with French. When British archers was captured the French would cut off a two fingers. So when two fingers are stuck up in a v it’s just British telling French we still got our fingers. Kinda like the middle finger
I'm Scots, I was crying laughing alongside you on this one😆
You should check out Lee Evans, he is just mental on stage with his energy. BTW, the two finger insult comes from the many wars we have had against the French, where if archers were captured by the enemy on either side, they would have those fingers cut off so they couldn’t shoot their bow anymore. The other soldiers would stick up their fingers like that to the enemy as an insult basically like “You lot are shit, I still have my fingers”
The 2 fingered salute is basically a softer version of the middle finger🖕. It was rumoured to be from when we archers, the enemies would cut off those 2 fingers if a archer was captured, so the archers would do that V symbol to the enemies as an insult.... But that has been proven untrue so I have no idea were it really came from lol
I would say the two finger version is *_much_* stronger than just the middle finger, which is an everyday sign of annoyance and is even used by little old ladies. People generally ignore the 'up yours', but the F-Off will cause fights.
The reason he was behaving turned on for the Dutch accent is because Amsterdam is a notorious destination for British stag do's where its no secret what will happen. Legalised weed and prostitution.
Armstrong and miller world war 2 pilots. Brilliant check it out
No one one really knows where two fingers came from, I'd suggest it might be the inverse of the two fingers in reverse. which means peace, thus the other way round is war.
they wouldn't let me tell what two fingers mean so it's a 4 letter word beginning in f and ending k and a three letter word beginning in o and ending in f
The two fingers go back to the battle of agincourt in the 1400's. The french would cut off english archers fingers, to stop them firing the bows. The english soldiers responded with the 2 finger salute to prove they could still fight. In ww2 churchill used it as the v for victory sign. However, since then the 2 finger salute with palm facing out is for victory, the 2 fingers with back of hand forward means fu*k off.
The two finger thing is basically the middle finger but it came from archers having there finger removed way back so you showed them you still have yours in that way
"Two fingers salute" means "up yours". Lots will say it hails from the days when we fought the French with our longbow men who could outshoot their French opposition distance wise and kill from a further distance. These two fingers are what would draw the string to fire the bow, it was rumoured that if the French caught an English bowman they would cut these two fingers off. So in battle to taunt the French they would waggle their fingers at the French to prove they still had their ability to kill them.
……..is the correct answer.
And Al would probably give you the whole episode in detail.
It's a myth. Sticking two fingers up originated with Churchill during WW2. He was forming a letter V symbolising his V For Victory campaign. It became a sign of defiance. In the early 70s the story about English archers at Agincourt was fabricated by a journalist. Think about it, why would the French cut two fingers off an archer when it's much easier to kill him?
That’s a myth
He’s brilliant at the Scottish ascent,I love him and I am a Jock 🏴👍👍👏👏👏
The two finger salute is our way of saying "f**k off" 🙂
Two fingers made as a 'Vee' = VICTORY!
I believe Al Murray is a professor of history.
It's an insult the 2 fingers. It started with us beating the French knights in battle. The English bowmen stuck their 2 fingers towards the French knights to show they were still alive. That's how it started.
The two fingers, allegedly, goes back to English archers showing the French they still had their two fingers to fire their arrows. The French chopped off the index and middle finger of captured English archers. It’s now similar to the middle finger swivel
Regarding the two finger salute: further to the references made that archers waved their fingers to the French, it was also a favourite gesture of Winston Churchill's as a sign of 'V' for Vitory.
Except when used as the sign for victory, the hand is turned around. In other words with the palm facing the direction of the people it is being directed at.
The two fingers or sticking the vees up (v) is just the same as saying fuck off. It is said it comes from wars between England and France . When the French captured an archer they would cut the two fingers off so he couldn't draw s bow again. The English archers when attacking the French would taunt them by sticking two fingers up.
The two-fingered V sign is a show of affection in the UK, and it means I love British people. That is why a lot of people across the world put up a two-fingered salute to the British flag. I think it was the Welsh who started it after they showed the English their new longbows. The English shouted "Thanks old chaps, we'll use them against the French", and the Welsh saluted back with the now-famous V salute. You should try it out the next time you see a British person.
People in England never go church