give the finger

Idioms and Phrases

Make an obscene gesture by closing one's fist and extending one's middle finger upward, generally interpreted as fuck you . For example, Herb has a dangerous habit of giving the finger to motorists who cut in front of him . Although from about 1890 to 1920 this term was used in the sense of “disappoint or snub someone,” that meaning seems to have died out. [Second half of 1900s]