Beautiful well-groomed manicure is a familiar phenomenon for women. Although sometimes found in men. You can see how the representatives of the stronger sex do not grow everything, but only one nail on each hand. Most girls not only do not approve, but do not understand. They never get tired of wondering why men grow their nails on their little fingers.
Excursion into the past
Trying to understand why men grow nails on their little fingers, it is worth returning to the 17th century. At that time, such a tradition appeared among French aristocrats.
The court etiquette demanded not to knock (as we do now), but delicately scrape the door before entering the room.
In the 18th century, a long fingernail on the little finger made it possible to quickly print letters, if there was no special device at hand. At the same time, they grew it mainly on the left hand, since this finger is used less often on it. Accordingly, it is less likely to damage the nail. This custom persisted until the beginning of the 20th century. Later, the tradition became irrelevant due to the fact that the wax seal was replaced by ordinary glue.
At the beginning of the 20th century, pharmacies could easily buy cocaine. He was a very effective anesthetic, so he was good at relieving toothache or headache. However, some people used it for a different purpose. They sniffed cocaine to overcome depression, tone up, improve mental activity and stay awake at night. For these purposes, this medicine was used mainly by creative people: musicians, artists, poets. They needed a certain dose in order to get the proper effect, without overdoing it at the same time. The required amount of cocaine just neatly fit on the inside of the extended nail. There was even a measure of the weight of the nail (in English - "nail").
The creative intelligentsia possessed such a convenient “device” for cocaine, so it becomes clear why men grow their nails on their little fingers. Thus, they want to show their belonging to this circle of people. It was under the influence of such a desire to distinguish that the fashion for a long nail went. It persisted until the 80s of the 20th century. Later, such people gradually "transferred."
Why do men grow nails on their little fingers now
It seems to be clear why men needed the nail on the little finger in past centuries. But what is he for them now? Today, when cocaine is already banned, and there is no wax seal, and this fashion has already left, a long nail in men can look ridiculous and stupid. However, it can sometimes still be seen. It is a peculiar sign of people's belonging to the thieves' caste. On the one hand, it was possible to demonstrate their non-involvement in physical labor. On the other hand, it was believed that the nail can be used when opening locks. By the way, Ostap Bender possessed such skills.
Now men rarely grow a nail on their little fingers. Moreover, each of them is guided by different reasons. Some people think that it can be conveniently used instead of a screwdriver in order to tighten small screws and screws. Others argue that it works great instead of a pencil at a construction site to mark the risk on linoleum, plaster, or board.