An explanation of the phrase “bite my thumb on her” in MyShakespeare`s Romeo and Juliet, Act 1, Scene 1. Sampson: No, sir, I`m not biting your thumb, sir; But I`m biting my thumb, sir. Now, Sampson is more of a slut who is afraid to break the law. He doesn`t want to do anything and tells Gregory to wait and let YOU do something. Gregory says he`s going to frown, and Sampson says he`s going to bite his thumb to provoke her. If Abram ignores the insult, they will be dishonored. Boy, these Capulets, who really show the Montegues here. SAMPSON: No, as they dare. I`m going to bite them on the thumb, which is a shame for them if they can handle it.
Sampson and Gregory are servants of Capulet (Juliet`s family) and say how much they hate the Montegues (Romeo`s family). Sampson talks about and Gregory says Sampson won`t really jump in if something happens. Sampson says that when they come across a Montegue, he gets angry and disrespectful and talks more and more about what he would do to them. : : Surely in the part of London where I grew up in the 1930s and 40s, the “thumb of the nose” was very popular with children as a form of challenge against almost everyone – other children, adults (it was hoped that one would not be identified as running away, which was always the case when adults were involved!). I don`t know where it came from, but I guess it`s quite old, maybe centuries. It was almost never used by adults and was considered childish. : : : I used the expression “sticking someone`s nose” to mean a kind of contempt. When I looked for confirmation in Phrase Finder, it didn`t seem to be included.::: Any information?: :: Thank you, Rosieann :: I wonder if it`s even related to biting your thumb like an insult. I found it in Romeo and Juliet There seem to be a few different definitions, but the basic idea is: you say “fuck you” and “you want to fight, little bitch?” In reply to: Biting a thumb Posted by Word Camel on May 08, 2002 Biting someone with your thumb meant sticking your thumb out from behind your upper teeth.
It was an obscene gesture, similar to pointing fingers at someone. There are many stories of people traveling to a distant land, innocently using a hand gesture that means something at home, but where strangers are considered vulgar and/or offensive. The cautionary tales are told by the thumb-to-index finger gesture with the other three tense stories, which is a sign of encouragement or approval in the United States, but apparently bad in some quarters. Argentina? Italy? I forget. The same goes for “thumbs up”. But the weirdest/saddest story of this kind I`ve ever heard was that of a public defender here in Chicago (one, for those unfamiliar with the office, is a lawyer tasked with defending destitute people accused of a crime). His client was a 14- or 15-year-old street gang member who pulled out a gun and shot another gang member in a car next to him. When he learned that the boys were complete strangers, the P.D. asked the boy why the hell he killed the other boy. (A quick note to explain: Each gang has its own hand gestures, “signs”, with which it signals its membership. The ultimate insult is pointing the other person`s sign upside down to “throw away your shield.”) The boy turned to the P.D.
and, as if trying to understand the obvious, said, “He threw my sign. What would YOU do? Q.E.D.: I have a similar impression about the above and I believe it is a childish offensive gesture now outdated and almost certainly entirely British. To do this, simply hold your right hand against your face with outstretched fingers, place your thumb against the tip of your nose, and then, facing your target, move your fingers. God only knows how it happened. So Abram asks Sampson if he insults him. Sampson feigned ignorance and said he was generally offensive. Abram repeats the question. Sampson asks Gregory if it would be legitimate for him to admit to insulting Abram directly, and Gregory said no he would provoke him, so Sampson zigzags again and says he was not directly offensive.
Gregory asks Abram if he`s trying to start a fight, and Abram replies, “What, me? No. Sampson throws a few bullets and insults Abrams` boss (Mr. Montegue). Gregory sees another Capulet coming, so Gregory looks at Sampson and says, “Yo, my boy is here, go ahead and say Mr. Capulet is better than Mr. Montegue.” Sampson and Abram begin to fight when Benvolio (Romeo Montegue`s cousin) arrives. Benvolio draws his sword and tries to end the fight by calling them idiots. But then Tybalt (Julia Capulet`s cousin, the guy Gregor saw coming) arrives.
He mocks Benvolio because he thinks Benvolio is fighting with the servants, so Tybalt starts fighting with Bevolio. Now the servants fight the servants, Romeo`s cousin fights Juliet`s cousin, the citizens begin to gather and insult BOTH families, and then the lords and ladies Capulet and Montague enter the scene. The is out of control because of the feud, there`s a crazy uproar, and even Old Man Capulet and Old Man Montague pose and want to tackle it. Then the prince appears with his eyes and turns everything off. Sampson: Draw if you`re men! Gregor, remember your shot in the flood. (They fight) Then they meet Abram (Montegue`s servant) and another. Gregory said to Sampson, “Yo, here they are, draw your sword and do what you want.” Sampson says that his sword is already out and that he has Gregory`s back. Gregory calls her a little that Sampson was the one looking for the fight and now he`s just a backup, telling her that Sampson would probably run away if something went wrong. Sampson (to Gregory): Is the law on our side, if I say yes? It is an insult and a challenge to a fight rolled in one.