Władysław I the Elbow-high of Kujawy, however, as he had two older half-brothers from Casimir’s second marriage to Constance of Wrocław: Leszek II the Black ("Leszek Czarny") and Ziemomysł. He was named after his uncle, his mother's brother Władysław, Duke of Opole. Already in contemporary sources he was nicknamed ""Łokietek"", a diminutive of the word "łokieć". It translates as "elbow" or "ell" – a medieval unit of measure similar to a cubit, as in "elbow-high". The origin of this nickname, as resulting from Władysław’s short stature, was explained only in the 15th century by historian Jan Dlugosz. In 1267, when Władysław the Elbow-high was
The finger to its frequent use when accusing someone of a "shameful action". Linguist Jesse Sheidlower traces the gesture's development in the United States to the 1890s. According to anthropologist Desmond Morris, the gesture probably came to the United States via Italian immigrants. The first documented appearance of the finger in the United States was in 1886, when Old Hoss Radbourn, a baseball pitcher for the Boston Beaneaters, was photographed giving it to a member of their rival the New York Giants. In the film "Speedy" (1928), Harold Lloyd's character gives himself the finger into a distorting mirror at Luna Park, about