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{{trope}}
'''Flipping the Bird''', or 'the Finger' as it is also known, is the act of raising one's middle finger upwards while keeping the rest of the fingers bent at the first joint or curled tight into the palm of the hand. For added expression, the participant should extend the arm to its full length and raise slightly above the shoulder line, perform this movement in a one sharp movement to add complete indignation to the gesture. For added effect, one can [[Dual Wield]] the gesture in what is sometimes called the "Double Deuce."
To flip someone off is an [[Take That|insult]] in most of the Western World, and earliest references of it [[Older Than Feudalism|go all the way to Ancient Roman]] writings, where it is referred to as ''digitus impudicus'' (the "impudent digit"). Often directed to those in authority in an act of defiance, ''Flipping The Bird'' is an easy way to get across complicated emotions in one motion. Also used occasionally by people who are being photographed against their will, and want to ensure the resulting image won't be publishable. Frequently used toward another driver while at the wheel.
A known British variation of the gesture is the "two fingers," where the index finger is also raised, otherwise known as "making a V-sign." Distinguished from the (inoffensive) 'victory'/'peace' [["V" Sign]] by the palm facing ''inward'', away from the target, much as it does for the single-finger equivalent. A [http://www.snopes.com/language/apocryph/pluckyew.asp popular but apocryphal story] about the origin of this version of the gesture involves the 1415 Battle of Agincourt, where the French allegedly boasted they would cut off the bow-fingers of every English longbowman they captured. When the English soundly beat them, they supposedly held up their still-intact fingers at the French in defiance.
A variety of other gestures are considered obscene in various cultures around the world. Notable gestures include "the fig,"<ref>* A clenched fist, but with the thumb sticking out between the index and middle fingers, signifying a clitoris, and meaning, well...[[Country Matters|you know]]...</ref> which is vulgar in France, Greece, and some Near East countries, and the "okay" gesture,<ref>Or rather an identical gesture that actually means "asshole"</ref> which is obscene in Turkey and some South American countries.
{{examples
== [[Advertising]] ==
* [http://images.nextnewnetworks.com/839.jpg Bentley: Chairman]{{Dead link}} ad. Nuff said.{{context}}<!-- MOD: Nuff needs to say more. -->
* In an ad for Wild Turkey Kentucky Bourbon, a group of guys are contemplating whether the woman at the end of the bar likes one of them, when suddenly she flips them off. Apparently not, right? Turns out, in this bar, the finger means "order that person a Wild Turkey on the rocks." As reflected in the tagline, [[Incredibly Lame Pun|"Give 'em the bird."]]
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==
* [[
* Rock does [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RY4lxe2gMqE this] quite memorably in the second episode of ''[[
{{quote|
** Amen, hallelujah and peanut butter.
* In ''[[
* In ''[[
* In an episode of ''[[Ranma
** Akane did it also in another episode, to Ranma; while hitting <s>him</s>[[Gender Bender|her]] on the head with her [[Hyperspace Mallet]] at the same time.
** Ryoga also did it once when talking smack to Ranma.
Line 30 ⟶ 28:
** And man, Ranma flips off people a lot in the manga.
** A truly epic one happens in the [[Martial Arts and Crafts|Martial Arts Dining]] arc when Ranma is stuck in an iron corset and accidentally turns [[Gender Bender|into his boy side.]]
{{quote|
'''Ranma:''' *while flipping Soun off* So yells my "dad," the little French maid! }}
* In ''[[
** After the {{spoiler|timeskip, Sanji does this to the crossdressers of Kamabakka Kingdom as a farewell.}}
* In the first chapter of ''[[
** Done quite a few more times in the ''[[
* [[Hellsing
* Sanosuke from ''[[
* In ''[[
{{quote|
** And at the end of the series, a ''very'' rude boy did this to 4 year old Pan when she accidentally bumped into him.
** Almost every character in DBZ flips the bird at least once. Exceptions are Goku and Buu, who both prefer more childish rude gestures like sticking their tongue out.
Line 45 ⟶ 43:
*** [[Getting Crap Past the Radar|That's his ring finger.]]
** There's also a chapter title page where half of the cast flips off Cell.
* In ''[[Dai no
* In ''[[
** The manga features Grimmjow grinning madly while flipping off [http://www.mangareader.net/94-653-4/bleach/chapter-199.html the reader].
* In chapter 7 of ''[[
* Shows up in ''[[
* Becky from ''[[Pani Poni Dash
* The [[
*
* Early in ''[[Excel Saga (
* In ''[[
* In an episode of ''[[
* In the Lucky Channel portion of ''[[
* In episode 3 of ''[[Kore wa Zombie Desu
{{quote|
'''Ayumu:''' I don't understand.
'''Orito:''' (Gives the finger) Say your prayers! }}
== [[
* [[John Constantine]] (who used to be pictured above) knows the [[Did You Just Scam Cthulhu?|appropriate moment]].
* Lula from the German comic ''[[Lula und Yankee]]'' does that at least once.
* Guy Gardner flips off Mr. Terrific and [[Martian Manhunter]] as his Power Ring flies to him and lands on his middle finger in [[Green Lantern]]: Rebirth. [[Word of God]] confirms it was intentional, as they were surprised that panel got approved.
== [[Fan
* For comedic effect: [http://bikerbloke.deviantart.com/art/Schwing2-193510446 here.]
* Among other instances (both American and UK versions) in ''[[
* In ''[[In The Dark]]'', [[Backstreet Boys| A.J. McLean]] does this to [[Spice Girls| Melanie Chisholm]] for a laugh after checking on her [[Tap on the Head|injuries]]. Chisholm wasn't amused as even with her injuries and being from England, she knew the meaning.
* [[Spice Girls]] [[Alternate Universe|AU]] fic, ''[https://archiveofourown.org/works/21828973 Just Taken]'', Melanie's answers to the driver who ran her over, while [[Vehicular Sabotage|slasing one of the tires]] in order to escape.
== [[Film]] ==
* One of the earliest examples of this in a mainstream film would be ''The Miracle Woman'', a Barbara Stanwyck drama made in 1931 (in other words,
** An even earlier example comes in [[Harold Lloyd]]'s silent 1928 comedy ''Speedy'', which has a scene where Lloyd [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4w77jd1KEQ does this to his
* In a deleted scene in ''[[Avatar (
* In ''[[Highlander II the Quickening]]'', a random bar patron flips Connor off right before bashing him over the head with a bottle.
* In ''[[Ghost Rider (
* In the movie ''My Science Project'', one guy flips off an asshat honking at him from behind... [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSZbqj6mdiQ with a light-up one!]
* In ''Problem Child 2'', Junior Healey is driving his dad home, and an unseen driver cuts him off. The kid knows how to make use of "the highway salute".
* In ''[[Ace Ventura]]: Pet Detective'', Ace has a football player
* In ''[[Alien
{{quote|
'''Apone:''' What do you want me to do, fetch your slippers for you?
'''Hudson:''' Gee, would you, sir? I'd like that.
'''Apone points at his own eye with his middle finger'''
'''Apone:''' Look into my eye. }}
** He is smoking at the time, which makes it hard to spot.
* A variation in ''[[Another Cinderella Story]]'':
{{quote|
'''Tami''': (''shows her fist'') Oh yeah!? Here's my invisible finger! }}
* Films 2 and 3 of the ''[[Austin Powers]]'' trilogy had examples of this, both of which involved Mini-Me.
* One of the aliens in ''[[
* ''[[Blade Trinity]]'' shows a few suit-clad vampires going into a tomb in the desert. Before going in, one of them flips the bird at the sun. 'Cause, [[Our Vampires Are Different|y' know, it's not able to kill him for a change]].
* The first ''[[
** Missy does a one after a Toros cheerleader mockingly points out that tattoos aren't allowed. She rubs off the "tattoo" with her middle finger.
* ''[[
* In ''[[
* Ash in ''[[Evil Dead 2]]'' gets this from his own demon-possessed severed hand.
* In ''[[Tank Girl (
{{quote|
* The younger sister of the heroine in ''[[Final Destination]] 3'' flashes the double-deuce when her big sister takes her picture at the amusement park.
* In ''[[
* One character does this in ''[[Liar Liar]]''.
{{quote|
'''Gretta''': Here's your raise! (flips it to him) }}
* ''[[Men in Black (
* The film adaptation of ''[[Mr. Bean]]'', the biker gave the bird to Bean while taking a picture of him and giving him a thumbs up from the car. Unaware of the gesture, Mr. Bean gives everyone the bird he passes by.
* The first movie of ''[[
* In one of the ''[[Police Academy]]'' movies, a snarky guy flips off a mounted police officer twice, once vertically and again horizontally (i.e. for the officer and the horse he rode in on).
* ''[[Road Trip]]'' had a blind girl giving Seann William Scott's character the bird after he feeds her seeing-eye dog a Slim Jim.
* In ''[[School of Rock]]'', after finding out that he's being booted from his own band, [[Jack Black]] holds up three fingers. "Read between the lines, my friend."
* ''[[
* Spritle [[Getting Crap Past the Radar|does it]] in ''[[Speed Racer (
* ''[[
* ''[[
{{quote|
'''Melvin:''' Aww, eat it! ''[gives him The Finger]'' }}
* ''[[Undercover Brother]]''. The title character and Sistah Girl are being chased by two security guards in golf carts. The guards try to warn some senior citizens (also in golf carts) to clear out of the way, and one elderly woman gives them The Finger.
* [[Roddy Piper]] does this in ''[[They Live!]]'' as he {{spoiler|lies dying, having exposed the true, unpleasant form of the [[Not Quite Human|aliens]] .}}
* ''[[
* In ''[[X
** He also does it to Gambit in ''[[X Men Origins: Wolverine
** In ''[[
* Sally Field flips off a motorcycle cop in ''[[Smokey and
* In ''[[
** Kim flips off Gideon before the Sex Bob-Omb plays, and does it by using her middle finger to rub under her eye.
** Earlier before the Matthew Patel fight, the drummer flips Wallace off.
{{quote|
'''Crash:''' Yes. (Drummer immediately flips the bird!) }}
* In ''[[
* In ''[[
* ''[[
* In ''[[Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome]]'' Ironbar flashes one of these as he dies under the wreckage of his crashed car.
* The movie adaptation of ''[[Dragnet]]'' had an interrogated suspect flip off Friday and his partner, Pep Streebeck. Streebeck leaves to get coffee, Friday then teaches the thug a lesson in manners.
* [[Hot Fuzz|Nicholas Angel]] does the British variation, accompanied by
* In ''[[Star Trek IV:
* Bialystock and Bloom in the latest ''[[The Producers]]'' respond this way while taking the Siegfried Oath (while Franz isn't looking, of course).
* In ''[[
* The South Korean [[King Kong]] rip-off, ''A.P.E.'' features a giant monkey giving the finger to an exploding helicopter. Seen [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lH-fNG9GH5E here].
** And speaking of apes, in the movie ''[[Cannonball Run]] II'', an orangutan chauffeur gives an old lady one when she waves to him!
* Unintentionally in ''[[Rat Race]]'', when Randy burns his finger in the cigarette lighter of Hitler's car and holds it up while next to a biker. His wife [[Stop Helping Me!|tries to explain while wagging hers]]. He next tries explaining the situation to [[World War II]] veterans.[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLy8BuGsTg4\]
* The poster for ''[[Trainspotting]]'' includes Begbie giving the V-sign to the viewer.
* In ''[[Ali G Indahouse]]'', Ali G thinks he's being rebellious by giving the V-sign to a cop car just below the rim of his car window, so it's completely hidden.
* In ''[[The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension]]'', John Bigbooté flips off Dr
* The 1980 comedy ''Used Cars'' has a scene where a student driver is instructed to do this by her teacher (played by the distinguished John Houseman, of ''The Paper Chase'') when another driver cuts them off.
* The garden gnome in ''[[
* In ''[[Guardians of the Galaxy]]'', Peter Quill gives this to a couple of Nova Corps members. Despite Disney having the rights to the film, it went uncensored in the films, even as the OBSCENE GESTURE DETECTED alert goes off.
** Quill does it again in ''[[Avengers: Infinity War]]'', just before using one of Doctor Strange's portals to escape... ''right at Thanos''.
* ''[[Alien vs. Ninja]]'': Mika had a message for a defeated alien following a fight, complete with a [[Groin Attack|sword in the nether regions]].
* During the chase in ''[[6 Underground]]'', Six, who was driving, almost collides with a group of nuns during a car chase. Six hopes they would forgive him for doing that. One of the nuns had this as a response.
* ''[[Deadpool (film)|Deadpool]]'', the titular character cuts off his wrist to escape from Colossus's manacle. Since he can simply regrow a hand, Deadpool likely didn't mind doing this. Bonus, his severed hand leaves this for Colossus.
== [[Literature]] ==
* The original novella for ''[[The Running Man (
* Performed by a ''cleaning robot'' in ''The California Voodoo Game'', in which the machine has been disguised as a cyborg octopus (long story) and sent to hinder S.J. Waters' crawl through a ventilation duct. The machine has no voice synthesizer, so the Game Master uses this robot's hologram-illusion tentacles to express its defiance after S.J. cripples it in hand-to-pincer combat.
* It's subtle, but a fantastic version appears in [[Matt Stover
{{quote|
"Huh?"
Mace nipped up a thumb. "You think being armed and ruthless means you can do whatever you want." He folded his thumb and flipped up his forefinger. "You think nobody will stand up to you when they're naked." He folded that one again and flipped up the next. "And you think you're going to look inside my bag." }}
* In ''[[Halo (
* The V-sign is obliquely referred to in ''[[Harry Potter]]'', where it is always referred to as an "obscene hand gesture" so as not to give the children any ideas.
** The most direct reference to it being the V-sign is in ''[[
* In ''[[
* In ''[[Stephanie Plum|Plum Spooky]]'', Stephanie comments "getting and giving the finger is a way of life in Jersey". She does, however, find it a bit odd to be getting this gesture from a pet monkey she's babysitting.
* Several times in the ''[[Maximum Ride]]'' books, including once when it's used as an [[Incredibly Lame Pun]] (and lampshaded as such by Max herself).
* In ''The Boy Who Lost His Face'' by Louis Sachar, David, in the middle of helping a group of friends pull a prank on an elderly woman reputed to be a witch, flips her the bird. This results in the woman pronouncing a "curse" on David.
* In [[Ken Kesey]]'s ''Sometimes a Great Notion'', the protagonist displays his late father's amputated arm from a pole atop his house, with all the fingers save the middle one tied down, as a gesture of defiance against the union loggers with whom he's feuding.
* In ''[[
===
* The notorious [http://www.coverbrowser.com/image/mad/166-3.jpg finger cover] of ''[[Mad]]'', which many news stands refused to display.
== [[Live-Action TV]] ==
* Referenced in ''[[MythBusters]]''. While testing the bouncing bullet myth (about a bullet that ricocheted in such a way that it killed the shooter), Adam and Jamie used a cardboard cutout of Jamie to represent the gunman/victim. One of the bullets they fired struck cutout!Jamie, in the words of the narrator, on the finger he "occasionally uses to advise fellow motorists".
* There were several occasions on ''[[Dead Like Me]]'' where characters clearly gave someone else the finger, thanks to the fact that the show was aired on Showtime.
* One episode of ''[[
* Jewel Staite and Nathan Fillion of ''[[
* One ''[[
* ''[[Whose Line Is It Anyway
** Brad Sherwood asks something like, "You wanna see me turn my hand all blurry?" He then makes The Finger, which, yes, gets censored by being blurred. Unusual for this show; usually they use a Censor Box.
** Another episode had Ryan accidentally banging his head, with Drew joking "How many fingers am I holding up?" Ryan replies with "How about me?", holding up just the one (censor box'd, of course)
** There is also a running gag in which all the cast members give the director [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Elgr_3c2N3k the finger.] (Starts about 0:33 in, NSFW)
* Done [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ee1uyc-sc5E&feature=related beautifully (if surreptitiously) by Glenn] in ''[[The Thick of It]]'': Julius asks him to hold up his fingers to count something and while he's talking, Glenn slowly lowers his fingers except for the middle one and keeps flipping the bird to Julius's face for a while.
* A promotional (we think) image for ''[[
* The [[Snick]] show ''[[Roundhouse]]'' pulled one off in its episode about discrimination with the "Race Krispies" sketch. Self-censored (with a cardboard sign), of course: "Hey four-eyes, how many fingers am I holding up?"
* There's an episode of ''[[Roseanne]]'' in which Leon starts making changes to the restaurant when Roseanne isn't there by persuading Nancy and Jackie agree on said changes. Nancy and Jackie inform Roseanne that they all voted in favor of uniforms and breakfast in her absence. Then...
{{quote|
'''Roseanne:''' Would you like to see the bird I voted for? ''(she makes a gesture behind her hand that implies flipping the middle finger)'' }}
** The episode "Bird Is The Word" evolves around this. Becky was accused of giving one in the school picture. Rather than protest, she opts to let the accusation slide as her popularity increase as a result {{Spoiler| until DJ and Roseanne [[Unwanted Rescue| ''cleared her name''.]] }}
** Roseanne also does this to a sexist truck driver in "The Getaway, Almost".
* In ''[[Porridge]]'' Fletcher is reading off a list of the things he's learned from his time inside, counting them on fingers as he goes. He forgets to add the third finger until Mackay notices it.
{{quote|'''Fletch:''' All right. I'll just tell him three things. One - bide your time. Two - keep your nose clean. And three - don't let the bastards grind you down. }}
* One imprisoned criminal on the short-lived series ''Hooperman'' goes the extra mile with this. He not only gives the title police detective the finger, he ''cuts it off and mails it to him''.
* Lister and Rimmer give the V-sign a few times on ''[[
** Lister and the Cat treat Arnold to one in 'Better than Life', and Kryten (trying to figure out what he is after thinking he was in a [[Lotus Eater Machine]] while actually being in one) speculates that he'd be the [[Badass Cop]] who'd give one to [[Da Chief]].
* In ''[[
* Ben Stein would get away with this on his game show ''[[Win Ben
* As mentioned above, Spike in ''[[
** And next season, [[Getting Crap Past the Radar|that shot made it into the opening credits sequence.]]
** Spike pulled off the same gesture to Angel during a flashback to WWII in Season five of ''[[
* [[R. Lee Ermey]] on ''Mail Call'' said that the Marine salute done properly has the index finger and 'social finger' touching the brim of the cap.
* An episode of ''[[Are You Being Served
* The opening credits of ''[[
* In a flashback episode of ''[[My Name Is Earl]]'' where Earl is competing against his cousin Blake for Joy's affection.
{{quote|
* [[David Letterman]] got away with it on his show; [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vbovi0XHadU&feature=related a guy wrote him a letter saying that he's hanging upside down, so Dave flipped him the bird upside-down.]
* In ''[[The Wire]]'', McNulty's superior officer Rawls is introduced by giving him an extended "Fuck you" speech while holding up a double deuce.
* In one episode of ''[[
** Also implied (since Ted's telling the story to his kids) as giving the thumbs up.
* Done regularly by various people in ''[[
* In the ''[[
* In one episode of ''[[
* ''[[
* In [[Two and A Half Men]], after coming home from the hospital, Alan tries to flip off Charlie after he makes a "[[I Told You So]]" comment, but can't since his hand in a cast.
{{quote|
* In [[Stargate SG
* The "body parts" episode of ''[[You Can't Do That on Television]]'' had a ''lot'' of jokes about "giving the finger". Fortunately, that is something they [[Ironic Echo| really ''couldn't'' do on television.]]
* On ''[[Wednesday]]'', Thing has done this more than once to folks he doesn't like - being a living, disembondied hand, it's pretty much the only way he ''can'' insult someone.
== [[Music]] ==
* In the [["Weird Al
** He does it himself in the video for "Amish Paradise" (and, like in "White & Nerdy," is also blurred out for censorship reasons).
* Kevin Rudolf's "Let It Rock":
{{quote|
When he cursed his name, turned and chased the dollar.
But it broke his heart so he stuck his middle finger
to the world, to the world, to the world. }}
* "American Recordings and [[Johnny Cash]] would like to [[media:
* In "Born To Lose", the Great Luke Ski recommends that the Charlie Browns of the world do this to Lucy when she pulls the football away.
* [[
{{quote|
And it seems like the media immediately points a finger at me
So I point one back at them
But not the index, or pinkie, or the ring, or the thumb;
It's the one you put up
When you don't give a fuck and you just won't put up
With the bullshit they pull, cause they full of shit too... }}
** And again, more blatantly, in "The Real Slim Shady"...
{{quote|
and put one of those fingers on each hand up... }}
* "Ve Heil! Heil! Right in "Der Fuehrer's Face" (the palm was facing outwards in the footage of [[Spike Jones]] playing that song, but the gesture was just as rude)
* "The One in the Middle" by [[Country Music]] singer Sarah Johns:
{{quote|
The one you use for a wedding band
But now I'm giving you the one in the middle
The one that's a little bit longer
And I've got another one on my other hand
So I can say it even stronger'' }}
* [[
* The cover art of Fuck You by [[Overkill (
* [[
== [[Newspaper Comics]] ==
* As ''[[
{{quote|
'''Alice:''' I used one on each hand. }}
* From ''[[
{{quote|
* ''[[
* ''[[Garfield (Comic Strip)|Garfield]]'' did it once, though it is not shown:
{{quote|
'''Garfield''': (offscreen) You, in the car, when you drive. }}
** In another strip, when Jon and Garfield go to a vacation on the Guano-Guano island:
{{quote|
'''Native:''' ''(offscreen)'' Aloha, this!
'''Jon:''' Uh, must be an obscure Guano-Guano greeting.
'''Garfield:''' No, I think that's pretty universal. }}
== [[Professional Wrestling]] ==
* If you really look had enough, there's an actually footage from following the jailhouse match with Big Boss Man and The Mountie. The latter does this after being demanded for fingerprints, by saying "You can't do this to me! You want the finger? There's the finger!". To top it off, this was in 1991.
* [[Steve Austin]]'s "Stone Cold Salute" in the [[World Wrestling Entertainment|WWE]].
* [[Ric Flair]] flipped off [[Triple H]] at ''Survivor Series 2005''.
* [[Kevin Nash|Diesel]] after costing [[The Undertaker]] the title at [[Royal Rumble]] 1996, which was notably before the [[Attitude Era]].
* Upon elimination from the 2004 Diva Search, [[WWE
* [[Vince McMahon]] does this a lot.
** He was [[Bullying a Dragon|idiotic enough to flip off]] [[The Undertaker]] and [[Kane (
** During a Steel Cage Match against [[Steve Austin]], Austin nearly escaped twice. Vince flipped him off both times to enrage him into coming back.
** After being defeated by [[Shawn Michaels]] at ''[[Wrestlemania]] 22'', Vince was loaded onto a stretcher and wheeled away. Vince defiantly flipped Shawn off right before he disappeared.
* This is pretty much what [[Randy Orton]] opted to toward Seth Rollins in the episode March 9, 2015, much to the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvzXr22rSpQ delight of fans].
== [[
* [[Russell Peters|"Ryan, go clean your room!"]] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nn5jlrxcpkI "FUCK YOU BITCH!"]
* [[Stage Magician|The Amazing]] [[Subverted Trope|Johnathan]] during one skit covered his hand with a kerchief and asked if a lady in the front row like birds. When she answered yes, he whipped away and flipped her the bird. He did then proceed to recover his hand and make a bird appear... [[Crosses the Line Twice|which he then promptly pummeled into a fistful of feathers]].
*
* One [[Peter Kay]] routine discussed the art of stealthily flipping someone off by pretending to scratch your face.
== [[Tabletop Games]] ==
* The [http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Angry_Marines Angry Marines] (probably NSFW), one of the many ''[[
== [[Theatre]] ==
Line 305 ⟶ 293:
== [[Video Games]] ==
* "Ah, the middle finger. The most communicative of fingers." - Guybrush Threepwood examines a hand shaped table in ''[[Escape
* The "Sweet Goodbye" achievement in ''[[
* Your character can do this in ''[[Fable (
** If you fail the extended expression in the second one you end up [[Epic Fail|poking yourself in the eye]].
* The "final trailer" for ''[[
** While in the game itself you do this after defeating a couple of bosses. Most notably would be when he finishes of the 'Queen Bitch' and just before losing consciousness, flips her off.
* The player's farewell to Nines Rodriguez in the Independent ending of ''[[Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines]].''
* ''[[Quest for Glory]] 2'' has this as an example of [[The Dev Team Thinks of Everything]], where one can actually use the command "give Ferrari the bird".
* Daxter gives this to Pecker in ''[[Jak 3
** In ''[[Jak and Daxter|Jak X]]'' Pecker gives one to G. T. Blitz, this time censored by [[Pixellation]] (justified since it happens on TV).
* [[Meat Boy
* Nero flips off Dante in ''[[
* ''[[
* [[Guilty Gear
* In ''[[Gaia Online|zOMG!]]'', the Taunt ring draws aggro from nearby Animated. You flip one bird with three Rage Ranks, and you flip 'em both when you use full Rage. In both cases, the relevant fingers are blurred.
* WWE wrestling games naturally have this as an option for taunts.
* Paulie 'Wheels of Fury' Ryan salutes the [[Player Character]] this way when teams are chosen in ''[[Tony
* Jack Cayman of ''[[
* In ''[[
* ''[[
* In ''[[Gears of War]] 3'' Cole asks politely if one of the stranded have a vessel they could borrow, the response; "Here are the keys to my luxury yacht" while giving him to finger.
* Brutal Doom, a recent mod for ''[[Doom]]'', uses this as the player's taunt. "FUCK YO' SELF!"
* In ''[[
* In [[The Darkness|The Darkness 2]], if you shoot the car coming at you during the scene in the parking garage it [[Stuff Blowing Up|expl]][[Every Car Is a Pinto|odes]], and Jackie does this to the driver as he passes overhead before crashing into the wall and dying. You even get the achievement "The Bird is the Word" for pulling this (easy) stunt off.
== [[Web Comics]] ==
* ''[[
** And Xykon's "Hey, I just grew back a finger. Guess which one."
** Also, Illusory Belkar combines this with a [[Narrative Profanity Filter]]: "Forceful assertion of open resentment toward authority. Please view accompanying hand gesture."
Line 338 ⟶ 326:
{{quote|'''Ennesby:''' I learned [http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2000-07-31 this one] from a documentary about twentieth-century traffic signals.|'''(A CENSORED sign is seen over the hand.)'''}}
** Kevyn responds, thusly...
{{quote|
** And it gets [http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2000-08-02 implied later!]
* [http://www.gocomics.com/basicinstructions/2009/11/26/ This] ''[[Basic Instructions]]'' strip.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070817175509/http://www.kenzerco.com/images/periodicals/TTC/phpslideshow.php?directory=.¤tPic=0 This] ''[[Fuzzy Knights]]'' strip (click to page through it), which was posted as a response to the 2005 terrorist bombings on the London Underground and made rather appropriate reference to the origin myth.
* In ''[[Blip]]'', as K is considering what picture to use for her
* Implied in ''[[
* Emily is quick to flip off Ash when they first meet in ''[[Misfile]]''.
** We learn later on that this is quite out of character for her. However, she was having a bad day.
* Rhea from ''[[Slightly Damned]]'' lets Buwaro know [http://www.sdamned.com/2006/04/04062006/ she isn't interested in what he has to say].
* Mentioned in ''You Damn Kid!'', in which the narrator thinks it's unfair that Dot's friend Sadako was punished for doing this. Sadako has six fingers on each hand, so the finger she raised technically wasn't her middle finger "and therefore not a bad finger".
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140110045247/http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2006-09-25 This] ''[[Dominic Deegan]]'' strip, done by Rocky the Elemental. Slightly justified in that he can't speak and communicates through gestures.
** Later, when Stunt badmouths him when he thinks he's not around, Rocky shoves a single arm up through the soil. Guess the gesture.
* Used several times in ''[[Loserz]]'', like [https://web.archive.org/web/20110519173457/http://bukucomics.com/loserz/go/2 here] and [https://web.archive.org/web/20101213184407/http://bukucomics.com/loserz/go/155 here].
* Used twice in ''[[
* ''[[User Friendly]]''. "Can you count on your fingers in binary? Then I send you a 'four'." <ref>with finger down for 0 and finger up for 1, four in binary = 00100</ref>
== [[Web Original]] ==
* Strong Bad of ''[[
** And then Homestar Runner manages it without any ''arms''. ''Unknowingly'', at that!
* The [[Strange Salute]] for the Republic of [[Kickassia]].
* [[The Bugle]] has a regular feature where listeners' Great Bird-Flipping Stories are read out.
* [[
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160319105357/http://www.fuh2.com/ Fuck You And Your H2] is a site dedicated entirely to pictures of people flipping off Hummer H2 drivers.
* In ''Planet Dolan'''s, Dolan Stories: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4EEBL8rnVM OUR PETS ARE WEIRD], Hellbent gives this to a dog after he saw her jumping on his bed to pee.
** In ''Super Planet Dolan'' Dolan Life Mysteries: [https://youtu.be/ChsgAaTO-gU Does Space Have A "Colour"?], Hellbent once again was about to do this before Pringle [[Scenery Censor| blocks him]].
* In ''Elite Facts'' video [https://youtu.be/VEGvJ9GP2Gk 50 Random Shower Thoughts #3], the narrator states this as being a hand signal for 'my bad' on the road, but he also inserts "No One would use it though"... implying this trope as many would say.
* Try image search for "fucktopus". There's even a 3D-printable model.
== [[Western Animation]] ==
* ''[[
** Craig Tucker has cornered the market in giving the finger.
** And let's not forget [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwNvIM2W9Aw what the Japanese think about whales].
** Ike also gave the finger after Cartman rejects him when auditioning for the boy band.
** Cartman [http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/176023/wax-his-crankshaft when he doesn't get invited to a party].
** [http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/165187/canadas-strike-song Canadians on strike from Vancouver to St. John's, raise their middle fingers for you all to sit upon!]
* Ignignokt of the Mooninites in ''[[
{{quote|
** Err likes to smoke as he shoots the bird.
* In one of [[Looney Tunes
{{quote|
'''Catsello''': If da [[Hays Code|Hays Office]] would only let me... I'd give him 'da boid' all right! }}
** Being ''[[
{{quote|
'''Yakko:''' We'd love to, really, but the Fox censors won't allow it. }}
* In ''[[Justice League (
{{quote|
'''Hawkgirl:''' [[Defiant to
* In ''[[
** Which is strange since he and the rest of the human cast have only four fingers. So what finger was he flipping?
*** [[Captain Obvious|The middle one.]]
**** Even weirder is that it wasn't digitized on the FX airings of the movie.
***** They're digitally edited out on the Fox airing so Homer's awkwardly moving his fists up and down, but in the episode where Homer bowls a perfect game, the bullies can be seen flipping the camera off in the background during the news report.
* [[
* Done ever so epically by the animated [[Adam Sandler]] to his caretaker as a hidden insult in the movie ''[[
{{quote|
'''Davey Stone:''' No, let me do them right now. [''Holds up his fists, raises and lowers his middle fingers''] One, two, three, four...
'''Whitey:''' [''Oblivious''] That's good, but don't forget your hammies. }}
* In the movie-game tie in ''[[Dead Space: Downfall]]'' Alissa gives an interesting salute to the Captain after ordering to not help the colonists.
* In ''[[
* Lois once did it to her mother on ''[[
** It was digitized on [[FOX]], but uncensored on [[Adult Swim]].
** In “Screams of Silence: The Story of Brenda Q”, a squirrel does this to Brian.
** Let’s not forgot this [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzwWGPDkSqw Road Trip].
* Probably one of the oldest examples in a 1920's Fliescher Brothers cartoon during a plane race one of the racers refuses to give St. Peter a ride... and he gives the racer the finger when he leaves!
* ''[[
** In ''Action'' a clip features the Yeti giving Chef the finger for crashing his golf-cart into his.
** Also in ''Action'', Duncan does this to [[It Makes Sense in Context|a cardboard cutout.]]
** Used again in the ''World Tour'' finale, when {{spoiler|Heather asks for support}} the camera immediately switches to Leshawna flipping her off from the peanut gallery.
* Raphael may only have two fingers but he repeatedly gets away with doing this with his sai in ''[[
* When "[[
* In a [[Getting Crap Past the Radar]] moment in ''[[Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy
* In ''[[
== [[Real Life]] ==
* When captured by North Korea, the crew of the ship USS ''Pueblo'' were forced to appear in staged propaganda photos. Each man showed the finger in the photos. When pressed, they claimed it was a Hawaiian Good Luck sign. Unfortunately, North Korea was able to read the foreign press and soon discovered the truth.
* Both parties in US politics in the 2000s:
** Some people claim [[Barack Obama]] did this to [[Hillary Clinton]] during the primaries in 2008. Others maintain that he was just scratching his nose with his middle finger.
** [[George W. Bush]]'s [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_bylg-Jjz8 one fingered victory salute].
* An equivalent gesture (called in French the ''bras d'honneur'' or "[[Ironic Name|Arm of Honor]]") is bending your right elbow, clenching your right fist and putting your left hand on your right arm's side opposing that of the elbow. The western variant was also imported into Russia from the West after [[The Great Politics Mess-Up]]. One can combine the arm with the Finger for emphasis.
** Although it means the number 2 in American Sign Language, in many other English speaking countries like England, the “V” sign that has the palm facing the user is the equivalent of Flipping the Bird.
* On WABC-TV in New York, anchor [[Deadpan Snarker|Roger Grimsby]] introduced a live broadcast from reporter Mara Wolinsky. Mara had been getting trouble from the cameraman and flipped him off just as the live broadcast started. The camera quickly cut back to Grimsby, who said, "Apparently, Mara knows who's number one in New York."
* There was a minor scandal during the last{{when}} election in Sweden, when the chairman of the Left Party flipped off a leading Conservative during a debate. Luckily, it was not televised. Unluckily, someone had a cellphone camera.
* The most epic bird-flippery so far happened when [https://web.archive.org/web/20121031180854/http://www.metro.co.uk/news/802617-starlings-give-twitchers-the-bird a flock of birds flipped the bird]... 'en masse' [[Synchronized Swarming|as a flock]].
* Actress Pauley Perrette, best known for her role as Abby Sciuto on ''[[NCIS]]'', subverts this by having a [["Have a Nice Day" Smile]] tattoo [https://web.archive.org/web/20110102204432/http://peekabootattoos.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Pauley-Perrette-Tattoos-2.jpg on the middle finger of her right hand].
* During the final week of testimony in the Casey Anthony murder trial, a 28-year-old spectator [[What an Idiot!|decided to ignore the strict court orders against overt gestures or expressions]], and flipped off prosecutor Jeff Ashton. Judge Belvin Perry found him in contempt and sentenced him to six days in county jail and a total fine of just over six hundred dollars.
* Davao City, Philippines vice mayor Rodrigo Duterte flashed the finger and cussed at critics of his daughter Sara (who was the mayor) following her widely-publicized punching of a trial court sheriff. Source: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/07/04/11/duterte-flashes-dirty-finger-sara<!-- E280%99s-critics -->{{dead link}}
* One Utah homeowner was run through hell by his neighbors for building 18" above the maximum roof height. In response, he put some "abstract art" of "cacti" on the side of his house, in their direction. [http://www.snopes.com/photos/risque/ventcover.asp You be the judge.]
* Comedian Jackie Mason nearly saw his career destroyed after being accused of having done this during a 1964 appearance on ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]''. [[Ed Sullivan|Sullivan]] banned him from appearing on the show again for nearly two years, and only relented after Mason (who vociferously denied having made the gesture, or even being aware of its meaning) initiated a libel suit.
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrU5QMLwVIk Penelope Soto], a Florida woman who was busted on a drug charge, became infamous for [[What an Idiot!|doing this to a judge]]; even the female detainee behind Soto was [[Corpsing|seen chuckling]].
* [https://youtu.be/e_6UgdS-NEs In this video], Jimmy Kimmel states [[Chris Benoit]] would make a better parent, considering that Benoit had killed his family. A group of women can be seen giving the middle finger... and who can blame them.
* [[Blatant Lies|This never happens]] in [[Canadian Politics]]. The [http://www.parli.ca/salmon-arm-salute/ "Salmon Arm Salute"], however...
* Greek cynic [[w:Diogenes|Diogenes]] was known to do this towards his detractors.
=== Sports ===
* Cyclist [[wikipedia:Mark Cavendish|Mark Cavendish]] gave us this post-win [https://web.archive.org/web/20121112043832/http://cdn3.media.cyclingnews.futurecdn.net/2010/04/29/2/par3206415_600.jpg British variant].
* A 1972 [[Monday Night Football]] game between the Oakland Raiders and Houston Oilers had a incident in which [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] cameras caught several Oilers fans leaving (the putrid Oilers were losing badly to then-AFC powerhouse Oakland). One guy that stayed happened to be caught on camera and, [[Medium Awareness|seemingly aware of it]], raised the middle digit. This incident also provided commentator Don Meredith's "[[Crowning Moment of Funny|We're number 1 in the nation]]" quip.
** Similar to this incident, the late newscast for [[San Francisco]] [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] station KGO following [[Super Bowl]] XIX (won by the hometown 49ers) shows a clip of some Miami Dolphins fans in a hotel to support the defeated Dolphins and one fan on an escalator flips the bird briefly ([http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TanoA3QTp8Q around the 1:51 mark]).
* Has cropped up a couple of times in [[NASCAR]]. One was in Dale Earnhardt's last race, done rather like an irate driver in traffic (which, in a way, he was), on Kurt Busch. Mike Joy interpreted it as Earnhardt telling Busch, "Kurt, you're number one."
** Then, in the 7 November 2010 race at Texas, Kyle Busch did this to a NASCAR official who was enforcing a penalty on him. One (lap penalty) plus one (finger raised) equalled three (lap penalty).
* [[Formula One]] had a few infamous cases. Heinz-Harald Fretzen did it to Mark Blundell after passing him, and his finger itself was caught on the on-car camera. Johnny Herbert [http://www.atlasf1.com/2000/mal/preview/cunliffe1.jpg did one on the podium].
* During Game 4 of the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs between the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlKggtLYecU Andrew Ference of the Bruins let the Habs fans have it by flipping them off after scoring Boston's second goal in the second period]. Which is a case of [[Take That]] to the Montreal fans. Needless to say, [[Serious Business|the fans got pissed off]] and Ference would later be fined $2500 for the unsportsmanlike gesture.
{{reflist}}
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Body Language]]
[[Category:Insult Tropes]]
[[Category:Hand Tropes]]
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