Saint Teresa of Avila and "a fig"

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thyrodandstaff asks:

I am seeking the meaning of an expression that Saint Teresa of Avila used in the Collected Works of Saint Teresa of Avila;

“…For if he (Satan) sees people already blind by the fact that they place their trust in vain things…May it please the Lord that I not be one of these but that His Majesty favor me so that I may understand by repose what repose is, by honor what honor is, and by delight what delight is-not the reverse; and a fig for all the devils, because they shall fear me.”

What does the expression a fig for all the devils mean? Is anyone familiar with this passage? Is anybody Spanish and know what this means?
 
thyrodandstaff said:
thyrodandstaff asks:

I am seeking the meaning of an expression that Saint Teresa of Avila used in the Collected Works of Saint Teresa of Avila;

“…For if he (Satan) sees people already blind by the fact that they place their trust in vain things…May it please the Lord that I not be one of these but that His Majesty favor me so that I may understand by repose what repose is, by honor what honor is, and by delight what delight is-not the reverse; and a fig for all the devils, because they shall fear me.”

What does the expression a fig for all the devils mean? Is anyone familiar with this passage? Is anybody Spanish and know what this means?
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To heck with them.
 
So a fig is like damnation? Where did this idea originate?

What is a fungaiolo? Is that a mushroom harvester? I could not find the word in the Italian dictionary.
 
thyrodandstaff said:
So a fig is like damnation? Where did this idea originate?
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No. If you say “a fig for [x]” it means: I don’t care anything for X or I don’t think it is worth anything. I believe the original expression was “I wouldn’t give a fig for [x]”.

There is a more detailed discussion on this page.
 
Ahaha, no. Let’s not whitewash things here. A fig is an obscene hand gesture where one puts their thumb between middle and index fingers. To this day it’s considered vulgar and threatening in many parts of the world. She just told the Devil “**** you.”

And a little bit of trivia, her confessor thought her visitations from Jesus were demonic in origin and commanded her to “fig” Him off too. She obeyed, and Jesus actually said to her that He appreciated her obedience. He took it in stride.
 
WoundedIcon said:
Ahaha, no. Let’s not whitewash things here. A fig is an obscene hand gesture where one puts their thumb between middle and index fingers.
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Words can have more than one meaning. The definition I gave is also valid. Who knows which meaning the Saint had in mind?

Or, for that matter, what did she actually write? After all she wrote in Spanish, not English. Did she use the Spanish word for fig or did she use an equivalent Spanish idiom?
 
louisak said:
Words can have more than one meaning. The definition I gave is also valid. Who knows which meaning the Saint had in mind?

Or, for that matter, what did she actually write? After all she wrote in Spanish, not English. Did she use the Spanish word for fig or did she use an equivalent Spanish idiom?
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True. I just assume the more vulgar one because of the incident with her confessor, and the fact that she was known to wisecrack and be a bit spicy at times.

Plus, it’s hilarious. 😛
 
Ah. The page you linked says the meaning you’re arguing for actually descended from the hand gesture. But see, “a fig for” is very different than “I wouldn’t give a fig”. The first usage is shown to be vulgar and refers to the hand gesture. Note the quote from Shakespeare on that page. The second is a polite way of saying “IDGAF”.
 
So basically it is saying “I will not fear the devils, they will be fearing me.” That makes sense to me. This is what I am hearing from the communion of saints!
 
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