In
Western culture,
the finger or
the middle finger (as in
giving someone the (middle) finger or
the bird or
flipping someone off,) is an
obscene hand gesture. It communicates moderate to extreme contempt, and is roughly equivalent in meaning to
"fuck off", "fuck you", "shove it up your ass", "up yours" or "go fuck yourself". It is performed by showing the back of a closed fist that has only the
middle finger extended upwards, though in some locales the thumb is extended. Extending the finger is considered a symbol of contempt in several cultures, especially Western ones. Many cultures use similar gestures to display their disrespect, although others use it to express pointing without intentional disrespect toward other cultures.