# The Surreptitious Bird

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-surreptitious-bird/1031715>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Tags:** movies\
**Created:** [July 16, 2026, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-surreptitious-bird/1031715 "2026-07-16T12:17:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-surreptitious-bird/1031715/21 "2026-07-28T14:32:02Z")

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> [@solost](#):
>
> One of my kids, when he was very young, used to use his middle finger to point to things instead of his index finger.

This was used in an episode of Seinfeld. George thought that a waitress was deliberately giving him the finger when pointing to things on a bill he was holding. Seinfeld thought that she just pointed funny.

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-surreptitious-bird/1031715/22 "2026-07-28T14:32:35Z")

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I saw a video montage of Paul McCartney (former member of “The Beatles” and “Wings”) rubbing his head with his middle finger allegedly when he was being asked ridiculous questions. But it’s been a while, and it might have been AI for all I know.

There’s some 1930s cartoon that I can’t remember in which a ghost flips off a speeding airplane, but I can’t remember the title.

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**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\
**Post date:** [July 28, 2026, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-surreptitious-bird/1031715/23 "2026-07-28T15:26:43Z")

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> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#):
>
> There’s some 1930s cartoon that I can’t remember in which a ghost flips off a speeding airplane, but I can’t remember the title.

I’m not sure if it’s the truth, but during the truck chase scene in the original 1949 movie **Mighty Joe Young** the giant ape makes a gsture which has been described as “fligking a booger” at the pursuing police. He might have done that with his middle finger. I’m going to have to go back and watch that again.

In any event, we KNOW that the giant ape in the 1976 Korean movie **APE** gives an undoubted finger to the helicopters:

> [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lH-fNG9GH5E](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lH-fNG9GH5E)

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