Ell wide. Ell An ell (from Proto-Germanic *"alinō", cognate with Latin "ulna") is a unit of measurement, originally a cubit, i.e., approximating the length of a man's arm from the elbow ("" literally meant the bend ("bow") of the arm ("ell")) to the tip of the middle finger, or about 18 inches (457 mm); in later usage, any of several longer units. In English-speaking countries, these included (until the 19th century) the Flemish ell ( of a yard), English ell ( yards) and French ell ( yards), some of which are thought to derive from a "double ell". An ell-wand or
The finger as obscene. The index finger and ring finger besides the middle finger in more contemporary periods has been likened to represent the testes. The middle finger gesture was used in ancient times as a symbol of sexual intercourse, in a manner meant to degrade, intimidate and threaten the individual receiving the gesture. It also represented the phallus, with the fingers next to the middle finger representing testicles; from its close association, the gesture may have assumed apotropaic potency. In the 1st-century Mediterranean world, extending the "finger" was one of many methods used to divert the ever-present threat of the evil