Dean's World

I got an Email. I was stumped...

I see your posts over at Dean's World, and it occurred to me that as a younger guy in Northern California you might know something about this. I'm currently in a debate about the name of a certain juvenile-ish practice that seems to happen in many high schools. I'm wondering if you have heard of this, and what it's called.

There is a little trick a person can do with his tongue, kind of curling it back or something. If it's done in a certain way, you sort of shoot out a little stream of fine drops of spit over maybe a two or three feet distance. It's not exactly spitting, but more like a quick stream from a squirt gun that shoots maybe ten or twenty drops. I can't describe exactly how to do it, because I never figured it out. However, it was a semi-common trick or prank to play on someone to do that to them back when I was in high school. Maybe sort of a gross out laugh among guys. Even though I never managed to do it on purpose, I still do it once in a very great while while even now, on accident, unintentionally. Most often, this happens if I'm yawning. My questions for you are, have you heard of it, and what do you call it?

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Michael Demmons (mail) (www):

Heh. I don't know what you call it, but I can do it. I don't know how I can do it, but I can.

11.25.2005 11:48am

Jimmie (www):

It sounds like the same technique my Dad taught me to spit a watermelon seed a long way. I've never used it to become The Human Archer Fish, but I suppose you could do it.

I'm kind of wondering what it was about your posts here that might make you an expert on this.

11.25.2005 12:04pm

Martin L. Shoemaker (www):

Honestly, I think the name for it is just salivation. Your salivary glands usually force out saliva around a tongue that's resting on them, so they put a little oomph into it. If the tongue isn't in the way, that oomph can mean quite some velocity on the saliva. Curling the tongue back or yawning might also stimulate the glands in some way I don't understand. But I've had this happen to me a few times.

You might dress it up by calling it projectile salivation.

11.25.2005 12:15pm

Sandi (www):

It has happened to me on rare occasions but is unintentional and embarassing if you are with someone. Doing it intentionally to spray someone would be quite rude.

Not knowing what it is called I googled and it comes from the saliva glands called the "Sublingual glands."

If you look into a mirror and curl your tongue up you will see them on the floor of your mouth where a cord from the tongue fastens. One sits on either side, and they look like a tiny pair of bollocks.

11.25.2005 12:22pm

davedief (mail):

I believe Martin above is correct. You have two ducts under your tongue from the sublingual salivary glands. But how folks perfect this aspect of projectile salivation is beyond me. I have done it involuntarily (accidentally) very, very occasionally.

11.25.2005 12:43pm

JRogge:

It's a trick to get the saliva gland under the toung to squirt. I was never able to do it, most likely due to lack of desire. It was called "Gleeking" at our school.

11.25.2005 1:13pm

It the gland under your tounge even.

House of Payne (mail) (www):

Gleek!

11.25.2005 1:37pm

Timothy Snyder:

I am the Gleek Champion of North America!!! I have to warn my dentist everytime I go.

11.25.2005 2:01pm

Jen Speaks (www):

I agree that it's called "gleeking." My best friend's father could do it at will and for long distances. Very disconcerting!

He showed me how he did it and now I am able to do it whenever I want, as well.

11.25.2005 2:07pm

TallDave (mail) (www):

This has been around since I was a kid in junior high. We called it "gleeking" too.

As always, Google has the answer. What an age we live in.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=gleeking

11.25.2005 2:53pm

Bryan Costin (mail) (www):

Wow, I'd forgotten all about gleeking. I've never been able to do it on purpose. I'll have to try rolling my tongue back like that.

11.25.2005 3:15pm

B. Durbin (www):

Can't do it on command, but like many people I have had a random firing once every so often. It's a bit startling when you don't expect it.

11.25.2005 4:16pm

Steven Malcolm Anderson (www):

I can still touch my nose with my tongue.

11.25.2005 4:25pm

Scott Harris (mail) (www):

Gleeking

11.25.2005 5:43pm

Mike "Veeshir" Fisher (mail):

I heard it as "gleeping" but that's probably just a pronunciation problem.

11.26.2005 6:52am

Brett Fife (mail):

Gleeking was reduced to be simply 'eeking' in these parts. For the life of me I cannot do this on purpose but only when I am reading a book I have borrowed and am trying to return in good condition.

11.26.2005 10:58am

Arnold Harris (mail):

If there is anything at all to the argument in favor of intelligent design, now you have a glimpse of one reason members of the human race are genetically coded to keel over and die before they live long enough to become major nuisances to the intelligent designers.

Arnold Harris
Mount Horeb WI

11.26.2005 5:51pm