-
Learning French: when and why do we say être sage comme une image?
A rhyming phrase which often describes well-behaved children
-
Learning French: when and why do we say rendre la monnaie de sa pièce?
This money-based expression can refer to a bid for revenge or a reminder that actions have consequences
-
French residency cards: Key terms to know (and understand)
The application process is much easier if you understand the vocabulary
Origin of ‘le doigt d’honneur’, France’s middle finger gesture
It may be rude, but the worldwide renowned middle finger gesture has a long history
During a campaign day in Marseille at the end of November 2021, French Presidential hopeful and pot-stirring polemicist Eric Zemmour responded, through his car window and in a tit-for-tat manner, to a ‘middle finger’ gesture directed at him by a local woman.
Unfortunately for Zemmour, a photographer was on hand to capture the gesture, and the image went viral on social media and became quite the news story.
À Marseille, Eric Zemmour échange des doigts d'honneur avec une passante https://t.co/DmoB0OoXAT @ParisMatch pic.twitter.com/ihGF5rHYGg
— L'important (@Limportant_fr) November 27, 2021
In France, such a gesture is known as le doigt d’honneur.
While the origin of the indecent gesture itself can be traced back to ancient Rome – and not, as widely recounted at dinner parties, to the Battle of Agincourt and the mutilation of English archers’ middle fingers – the French use of the word honneur to describe the middle finger being raised in such an insulting and crude manner is what concerns us here. To this day it is still unclear though why French people call it le doigt d’honneur when in fact it has an opposite meaning.
The middle finger in French is called le majeur (the thumb is le pouce; index finger is l’index; ring finger is l’annulaire and ‘pinkie’ is l’auriculaire) but the use of honneur is a hark back to the phrase in Latin: digitus impudicus – le doigt indécent (unchaste finger).
Looking to go that extra mile in your insult? Go for le bras d’honneur, which sees your other hand placed in the inner fold of the elbow of the raised arm doing the doight d’honneur.
This is deemed an even stronger, deeply offensive gesture and sure to insult anyone, whatever their political persuasion.
Zemmour later addressed the issue on his Twitter page, telling the woman concerned that “vous imiter était fort inélégant” (imitating you was very inelegant).
Related stories:
Bouillon, soupçon: Two French culinary terms with other meanings
Discover not so appetising origins of the French saying ‘bon appétit’
Quand même: The French phrase for almost every occasion