The middle finger is a hand gesture that is considered obscene in Western culture. It involves extending the middle finger while keeping the other fingers folded against the palm. The gesture is used to express contempt, insult, or belittlement towards someone. The middle finger gesture has been used for more than two millennia to express insult and belittlement. In ancient times, it was used as a symbol of sexual intercourse and represented the phallus, with the fingers next to the middle finger representing testicles. The gesture may have assumed apotropaic potency due to its close association with the phallus. The middle fingers offensive meaning has overtaken cultural, linguistic, and national boundaries and can now be seen at protests, on football pitches, and at rock concerts across the world. While the middle finger may historically have symbolized a phallus, it has lost that distinctive meaning and is no longer even obscene. Nowadays, the middle finger is also represented by an emoji that is used to express the physical act of raising ones middle finger.