give (one) the finger
1. To raise the middle finger (a rude gesture of anger or displeasure) at one. What are you giving me the finger for, I didn't even say anything insulting! I gave my brother the finger after he said that he'd never seen a worse basketball player than me. The player got in trouble when cameras caught him giving an opponent the finger.
2. To treat one poorly or display contempt for one. Making us sit in the very back row is basically his way of giving us the finger. Would you relax? I don't think he was trying to give you the finger by not inviting you—it was just an oversight. I already thought those people didn't like me, and they really gave me the finger by not sending a car to pick me up from the airport!
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
give someone the finger
1. Fig. to display the middle finger upright as a sign of derision. (The gesture is derisive and offensive. See also flip someone off, flip someone the bird.) Did one of you guys give Ted the finger? Somebody gave the cop the finger.
2. Fig. Inf. to mistreat someone; to insult someone. You've been giving me the finger ever since I started working here. What's wrong? I'm tired of everybody giving me the finger around here just because I'm new.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
give the finger
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]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.