# "At least the foreskin's not back": What could that mean? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 14, 2011, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-the-foreskins-not-back-what-could-that-mean/596240 "2011-09-14T02:40:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-the-foreskins-not-back-what-could-that-mean/596240/21 "2011-09-14T08:48:01Z")
> [@JBDivmstr](#): > > And Blake, you sound like you might have ‘been there and done that’! 😛 Well, there was the time I was making out with this girl at a rehearsal for a school play. No orgasm or getting stuck down with cum, but when you’re 16 and in mid-session you get called onto stage… Well first you shuffle and try to hide at the back because things are too big. Then things get too small and you shuffle around in a state of profound discomfort because there’s just no way to put things right. And amazingly at 16 you’d go back and risk it again. I did. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-the-foreskins-not-back-what-could-that-mean/596240/22 "2011-09-14T10:07:08Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > At one point in _Ulysses_, Leopold Bloom masturbates surreptitiously inside his pants while watching a young girl flashing him. After he comes, he settles his “cold and clammy” penis, detaches it from his clothes with a little tinge of pain, and then says a sentence or two later: “at least the foreskin’s not back.” > > Joyce scholars go apeshit over this line because, they say, it “proves” that Bloom is circumcised. > > But not having had a foreskin since I was eight days old, I don’t even know if that statement makes sense. Can someone parse out the meanings for me? It seems to me that everyone’s overanalysing this rather. Without seeing the whole passage in context, I can’t be sure, but the most obvious reading to me (as an uncircumcised male) is that Bloom is uncircumcised, and is saying “at least the foreskin isn’t pulled back (i.e., retracted to expose the glans)”, because if it were then contact with his clothes would be a lot more uncomfortable than if it were in its usual position. ETA: Or, basically what **Blake** said. I would have thought the reading is obvious to any male with a foreskin. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-the-foreskins-not-back-what-could-that-mean/596240/23 "2011-09-14T17:48:48Z")
Am still here, cogitating (not masturbating, at least not now)…As should be clear from my user name, _Ulysses_ by James Joyce (pub. 1922) is the most important book of my life. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-the-foreskins-not-back-what-could-that-mean/596240/24 "2011-09-14T20:42:16Z")
Another owner of a foreskin, here, and my first thought also was that he’s grateful his foreskin is not retracted. Though him being Jewish would certainly make that odd, to say the least, and I can see how there might be other interpretations (heck, it’s Joyce; of course there are other interpretations). ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-the-foreskins-not-back-what-could-that-mean/596240/25 "2011-09-14T21:24:37Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > Am still here, cogitating (not masturbating, at least not now)…As should be clear from my user name, _Ulysses_ by James Joyce (pub. 1922) is the most important book of my life. Thank you, sir. I think I’ll procure a copy, and see what all the hubub is about. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-the-foreskins-not-back-what-could-that-mean/596240/26 "2011-09-14T22:55:16Z")
The guy was born Jewish, therefore circumcised a week later. Then, in time, he was baptized (3 times?). I can understand a kid thinking that after being baptized he’s no longer Jewish, so the foreskin should grow back. I know this is stupid, but people, especially kids, believe all sorts of things related to sex, and this is kinda plausible. There’s also the fact that the head of the penis is a lot more sensitive than foreskin. So it’s a lot easier to masturbate in your pants if you’re circumcised, because of friction . . . but there’s a price to pay, in that when the semen starts to dry, it’s a little painful to pull away from the fabric. So he’s accepting the pain, because it means that at least his foreskin hasn’t grown back. Yes, I know that foreskin often retracts with an erection, so it doesn’t make any difference. But being circumcised, Bloom doesn’t know that. He’s happy that the baptisms didn’t “take,” affording him more pleasure in his pants. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-the-foreskins-not-back-what-could-that-mean/596240/27 "2011-09-14T23:07:59Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > STOP OP FUCK-UP! > > Shit, guys, I fucked this up royally. The party line on Bloom’s thought is that it proves that Bloom is **not** circumcised. > > Sheesh. Sorry. LOL. I ready that as “STOP OR FUCK UP” which was just as confusing as the sentence we’re discussing. STOP OR FUCK UP is my new favorite line. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2011, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-the-foreskins-not-back-what-could-that-mean/596240/28 "2011-09-14T23:13:02Z")
\*This wet is very unpleasant. Stuck. Well the foreskin is not back. Better detach. Ow!\* Original excerpt. Obviously I should have given this first thing off the bat. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-the-foreskins-not-back-what-could-that-mean/596240/29 "2011-09-15T03:58:50Z")
I think by not giving the correct source text until my previous entry–where the “Ow” comes _after_ the comment about the foreskin–I have totally abused the intellect and good will of all. It is academically scandalous (no sarcasm). I will try to use these comments–most of which have focused on the incorrect “Ow”/“not back” order as I gave at the top–as a sort of negative template. (I’m aware that there are other interpretations here.) With regards, Leo ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-the-foreskins-not-back-what-could-that-mean/596240/30 "2011-09-15T04:16:55Z")
The changes in cited text and interpretation have ended up puzzling me a bit. Just to be clear: are we all now agreed that according to this passage, it seems evident that Leopold Bloom is **not** circumcised? And the fact that his foreskin wasn’t retracted (i.e., it was covering the sensitive glans) emboldened him to unstick the penis from the dried semen on his clothing? ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-the-foreskins-not-back-what-could-that-mean/596240/31 "2011-09-15T07:43:10Z")
Much as I tried to resist, I must weigh in on this. 1. Since when does semen dry so fast? It’s not immediate you know. 2. Secretly maturbating in public is a decidely “unreligious” thing to do, so I could imagine being “thankful” that god hadn’t made my foreskin grow back as punishment\* 3. Just throwing this out there…is the fact that he’s Jewish proof positive that he’s circumcised? Could there have been a “slip between birth and nick”? 4. What the hell kind of book is it that provides such a description? 5. I have never “cum in my pants” but I couldn’t imagine how cold, clammy and uncomfortable it would be. 6. If I had done that, I would be thankful that my foreskin was covering the glans. - I’ll point out here that I’m a turtle neck ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-the-foreskins-not-back-what-could-that-mean/596240/32 "2011-09-15T15:55:34Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > Much as I tried to resist, I must weigh in on this. > > 1. Since when does semen dry so fast? It’s not immediate you know. I can’t quite figure out how it is both so wet to be uncomfortable and clammy and so dry that things are stuck like glue. However, I can’t claim to be some sort of semen savant, so what do I know? ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-the-foreskins-not-back-what-could-that-mean/596240/33 "2011-09-15T16:15:22Z")
TMI As a much younger man (hell, almost a boy still) for a while I regularly came in my pants. The sensation is warm, initially, but it does cool quickly. The gluelike qualities of semen in pants I can attest to, it becomes remarkably adhesive very very fast. Probably within 10 minutes, making an “adjustement” to unstick myself would have been at least a smidge painful. About 2 years after starting this, I realized that it was much better to do this in the shower. /TMI Also, circumsized. Though neither of my sons are. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-the-foreskins-not-back-what-could-that-mean/596240/34 "2011-09-15T16:38:07Z")
Said Joyce, laying down his pen: “That ought to keep 'em guessing.” ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-the-foreskins-not-back-what-could-that-mean/596240/35 "2011-09-15T17:03:39Z")
Did he lay down his pen, or something else starting with those three letters…? ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-the-foreskins-not-back-what-could-that-mean/596240/36 "2011-09-15T17:32:24Z")
Something entirely different. In this he was ‘controlled’ by his penis, as if his penis was a separate living being with a mind of it’s own. After this beast gets the better of him he states at least it’s not reverting to it’s ‘wild state’ and is still somewhat tamed. With the implications that if the foreskin came back it would have been even more powerful over his behavior. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-the-foreskins-not-back-what-could-that-mean/596240/37 "2011-09-15T21:18:03Z")
As soon as my damn head ache goes away, I will print out this thread and try to summarize the views. Leo ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2011, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-the-foreskins-not-back-what-could-that-mean/596240/38 "2011-09-15T21:56:01Z")
> [@Capitaine\_Zombie](#): > > Havent read the book, but it just sounds like a ironic remark. The “at least it’s not/at least I ain’t” is often used as starter for this kind of jokes. > Guy does something with his glans and cracks a joke about missing foreskin. I dont really see the mystery there. I also took it as a joke, but along the lines of “this hurts a bit, but at least the foreskin’s not back (else I’d have to get circumcised again, which would hurt a lot)”. An “it could be worse” thing, if you will. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-the-foreskins-not-back-what-could-that-mean/596240/39 "2011-09-16T03:59:17Z")
I “stick” by my interpretation. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/at-least-the-foreskins-not-back-what-could-that-mean/596240/40 "2011-09-16T18:55:53Z")
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