When English singer Adele went to deliver her acceptance speech for the British Album of the Year award, viewers got more than just words – they also got a middle finger.

As the British sensation gave a fairly long speech, the presenter tried to shoo her off stage. Adele seemed to have seen it coming, and incorporated a middle-finger flourish into her wave goodbye.

To emphasize that her gesture was meant for those who cut her off and not the audience, Adele later told the BBC, I flung the middle finger. That was for the suits at the Brit Awards, not my fans. I'm sorry if I offended anyone, but the suits offended me.

Although, to be fair, to the producers, her speech did seem to run a bit long.

Perhaps Adele was inspired by artist M.I.A., whose middle finger at this year's Grammy's also caused quite a stir. Unlike Adele, who took responsibility for her finger, M.I.A. blamed it on adrenaline and nerves, perhaps to placate Madonna, who was reportedly livid at the gesture her performance partner made.

Adele's brazen and unrepentant middle finger may have had something to do with the relatively low stature of her award -- she's already been honored by the Brits many times before, and even the TV announcers admitted that her winning of the award was not that surprising. And with half a dozen Grammy's this year alone, can you blame her?

Adele
Singer Adele wins six award from six nominations at the 2012 Grammys. Reuters