McQueen Salute
 

I watched "LeMans" for the first time... and the sounds were amazing, but I wondered what the 2 fingered salute from Steve at the end of the film meant. I have also seen the poster of him doing the salute...so I assume it is nothing vulgar??:confused:

It is an European gesture. It means "up yours".

Same as the single digit used here...

Serious? Or making a joke?

"V" for victory!

From Wikipedia:

The insulting version of the gesture (with the palm inwards) is often compared to the offensive gesture known as "the finger". The "two-fingered salute", or "bowfinger",[citation needed] as it is also known, is commonly performed by flicking the V upwards from wrist or elbow. The V sign, when the palm is facing toward the person giving the sign, has long been an insulting gesture in England,[4] and later in the rest of the United Kingdom; its use is largely restricted to the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.[5] It is frequently used to signify defiance (especially to authority), contempt or derision,[6] and is often accompanied by the phrases "Up yours," or "**** off."

In Europe, it simply means the same as the middle finger here. If you turn your hand around, palm out, it means victory, or two, as in "I'll have 2 pints, mate."

After living in England for just 1 year, that McQueen version looks immediately vulgar to me. If I do see a guy order 2 beers that way in America, it looks funny to me. Don't order that way in an Irish bar.

has to to with the french and english. the english invented the longbow,and outshot the french with it to the point that when the french could capture any english archers the french would cut off those two fingers to put them out of the archery business. [sorry for the run on sentence.]
the two finger salute was in defiance,showing", we've still got our fingers,f*ck you!"

I also remember hearing that the bow strings were made of sheep guts, and that the archers plucked their bows. So they were saying 'pluck ewe' :D

Some of you guys need to get out of the house more often...


The two finger salute is highly effective here, because you don't get in trouble for using it.

+1

In the context of the film, I think it was a camaraderie thing, he earlier had told him not to be a pain in the ass when the Ferrari guy told him to be careful, though he had just run the guy from first to third, so there is always the possibility it was serious

Victory/FY Combo

Means love in sign language though...

The film carries a "G" rating, so it's probably harmless.


KT

onlycafe is 100% correct.

And, in the context of the film, it makes perfect sense.

Mike

..."And I fart in your general direction".

Robert Wuhl gives a good explanation on the origins of the "F" you sign, in the "Assume The Position" comedy special.


Matt

This is a popular urban legend. It has no basis in historical fact. The gesture goes back to ancient times. It has nothing to do with English archers. Really, where do you people learn this nonsense?:rolleyes: