Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Get Along Without a Pinkie? It’s Tougher Than You Might Think

In the USA, a pinky swear or pinky promise is made when a person wraps one of their pinky fingers around the other person's pinky and makes a promise. Traditionally, it's considered binding, and the idea was originally that the person who breaks the promise must cut off their pinky finger.

Among members of the Japanese yakuza (gangsters), the penalty for various offenses is removal of parts of the little finger (known as yubitsume).

In India, holding up the little finger is a signal that the person has to urinate.

In Turkey and in Colombia, it's tradition to link little fingers when two people are making a bet.

In Russia, when two people are French-kissing, it is customary to often link little fingers together.

Needless to say, your little finger, often called the pinky in American English and pinkie in Scottish English, usually smallest finger of the human hand, is good for things besides wearing a pinky/pinkie ring.

This week, we look at what happens if you break your pinky/pinkie.

TTFN, Fred.

Quote of the week: "If you haven't found something strange during the day, it hasn't been much of a day." - John Archibald Wheeler (an eminent American theoretical physicist, 1911 - 2008)

(scroll over or click on iPaper below to have a drop-down menu that includes a print option)

Get Along Without a Pinkie It’s Tougher Than You Might Think



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