# the bird, so to speak

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bird-so-to-speak/139728>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [December 1, 2002, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bird-so-to-speak/139728 "2002-12-01T03:24:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![raisinbread](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8491ac/32.png) [@raisinbread](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raisinbread)\
**Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bird-so-to-speak/139728/1 "2002-12-01T03:24:42Z")

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After seeing [this site](http://fuckyou.bigmoron.com/fuckyou/) it made me wonder about the habit of some people giving the finger but pushing their ring and index knuckles out instead of simply letting the middle finger stand prominently from the fist.  
How do you flip the bird? Did you get your technique from TV, movies, etc or you just did it your way?

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**Author:** ![cherry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cherry)\
**Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bird-so-to-speak/139728/2 "2002-12-01T04:04:23Z")

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Thats such a funny site. I flip the bird by putting my index, ring and pinkie finger down, but my thumb stays sort of up. I think I learned this from grade school, actually I dont remember, but I’m pretty sure it was grade school.

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**Author:** ![Madhat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Madhat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Madhat)\
**Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bird-so-to-speak/139728/3 "2002-12-01T05:38:24Z")

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I’ve gotten into trouble just shaking my index finger at people and they assume it’s the bird. (But that’s too rude for my taste)

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**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\
**Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bird-so-to-speak/139728/4 "2002-12-01T19:05:00Z")

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I make it very tightly, with thumb alongside my palm. I would say I “just did it my way”

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**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\
**Post date:** [December 1, 2002, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bird-so-to-speak/139728/5 "2002-12-01T22:34:45Z")

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**raisinbread** :  
I don’t know about anyone else, but when I click that link I get taken to a website that I won’t name but which is prohibited according to the SDMB rules. It’s _not_ the URL that is displayed if I hover over the link, so I’m not accusing you of anything underhand - I suspect it’s been hacked.

Maybe a mod needs to edit or remove it?

If nobody else gets the same problem I’ll assume it’s just local to my machine (and in which case I apologise).

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**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\
**Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bird-so-to-speak/139728/6 "2002-12-02T08:42:26Z")

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The link works just fine here.

That “knuckles out” style is difficult.

I’m a “thumbs outward” kind of guy myself.