# How do you do the one-finger salute?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-do-the-one-finger-salute/735381>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [October 21, 2015, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-do-the-one-finger-salute/735381 "2015-10-21T19:24:56Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-do-the-one-finger-salute/735381/1 "2015-10-21T19:24:56Z")

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It seems around here we give the finger by holding our hand in a closed fist, thumb across fingers, middle finger extended.

But I see on TV sometimes that some fold their knuckles down, thumb extended out and middle finger up high. I first noticed it on The Walking Dead when Daryl and Beth (rest her soul) were flipping off the cabin they set on fire. Something looked odd about how they were giving the finger and then I realized the difference.

What’s your preferred way to flip someone off?

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**Author:** ![WildBlueYonder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ce7236/32.png) [@WildBlueYonder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildBlueYonder)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-do-the-one-finger-salute/735381/2 "2015-10-21T19:27:23Z")

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Oh it involves many hand/arm gestures, I rarely use the middle finger…seems a weird sensation

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**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-do-the-one-finger-salute/735381/3 "2015-10-21T19:29:10Z")

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Apparently with my thumb against my index finger. Never checked before now, doesn’t seem like the other fingers matter if they’re out of the way.

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**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-do-the-one-finger-salute/735381/4 "2015-10-21T21:21:22Z")

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I’m British. We put up two fingers, usually with a fairly vigorous upward thrust.

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**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\
**Post date:** [October 21, 2015, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-do-the-one-finger-salute/735381/5 "2015-10-21T21:46:15Z")

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I do it the thumb-to-the-side way. It seems more emphatic somehow.