188-pull my finger

[matilda]

Hello all

What does (pull my finger) in the following sentence mean?
He made the ill-fated decision to ask one of the humans to "Pull my finger", which resulted in the aforementioned finger being lopped off
Thanks in advance

Matilda

[Avalon]

There´s an entry in the dictionary that says that to pull/get/take one´s finger out means to start working hard;make an effort in British slang....

[DavyBCN]

Originally Posted by Janaina Volker

There´s an entry in the dictionary that says that to pull/get/take one´s finger out means to start working hard;make an effort in British slang....

The reference to humans suggests this is from a science fiction story, and that that the alien they are talking about has fingers which detach easily.

[Avalon]

so the meaning is literal!

[Ouisch]

OK, this is pretty rude, but I'll try to be dainty about it:
In American English, "pull my finger" refers to a "game" some people play (usually it's a man, as women are too ladylike to do this, of course)... When he feels a bout of flatulence about to erupt, he'll tell someone unsuspecting person "Pull my finger!" He extends his index finger, and as the person pulls it, his bum explodes noisily, my to his amusement and the other person's disgust. It's common enough where if someone says "Hey, pull my finger" everyone else knows enough to evacuate immediately.

I'm guessing that that is the reference in your story....sounds like someone (an alien?) was trying to be funny and asked someone to "pull my finger." Instead of playing along, they chopped the digit off.

[Avalon]

that was even more amusing!