One leftover legend from Agincourt is that the French threatened to cut off the middle finger of every English longbowman, the essential finger for guiding the arrow to its target. The famous English longbows were made from the Yew tree and without this finger, the English would no longer be able to pluck their bows.
After the battle was over, the English gave the French the finger and told them they could still pluck Yew. In the foggy air of Agincourt and to the French ear, unfortunately, the "pl" sounded like "F" and, thus, we are left with that crude expression and gesture even today.
