# Impudicus digitus



## aefrizzo

*B.* *Transf.*: “digitus,” i. e. _the middle finger_, *Mart. 6, 70, 5*:

While checking out on the L&S the respective prevalence of words like *im/in*pudens,* im/in*probus, *im/in*pudicus etc.., I found the above line. Is it really so old a gesture or have I to blame my dirty mind?


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## exgerman

It's really that old. After all, the gesture is not arbitrary, but used to indicate a real activity --- one in which people engaged even way back then.

I understand that there is a similar gesture in Italian that uses the entire forearm.


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## wandle

This entry in L&S gives as names for the middle finger _*medius*_ and _*infamis*_ as well as _*impudicus*_.


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## aefrizzo

*Grazie, ragazzi.*
I used to look at this gesture as something imported through A/E movies  and TV, now it turns up to be "civis romanus".


exgerman said:


> I understand that there is a similar gesture in Italian that uses the entire forearm.


I am much more familiar with this "gesto dell'ombrello". I wonder whether it has too a latin "noble" translation.


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## wtrmute

There is an epigram by Martial (6, 70) where his subject "... _ostendit digitum sed impudicum..._" towards his doctors.  So yes, the gesture is really that old.

Source: http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Journals/CJ/47/2/Roman_Elementary_Mathematics*.html


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## aefrizzo

wtrmute said:


> Source: http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Journals/CJ/47/2/Roman_Elementary_Mathematics*.html



A Brave New (for me) World. Thanks.


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## giginho

Ave!

digitus impudicus is older than Rome; it comes from Greece (not Varoufakis, of course!) where it was called: καταπῡ́γων. If you can understand Italian, you can check this out


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## aefrizzo

Grazie, Giginho.
Fortunately your link is easy to read in several languages, english included.


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