Literal translation
to make the fig
Meaning
to make a rude insulting gesture, the fig
Explanation
An insulting gesture where the thumb is pushed between the index and middle finger, made by one man toward another. The fig symbolizes the female sex, evoking a ripe fruit split open, and the thumb slipping between the fingers represents penetration, branding the other man as a woman, or worse, as gay, the ultimate insult in a society where the divide between the sexes matters deeply. Once common around the Mediterranean and named the same way in Italian, fare la fica, the gesture is today largely replaced by the raised middle finger.