# can you curl your tongue? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 26, 2001, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-curl-your-tongue/78246 "2001-08-26T23:59:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![beckwall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b487fb/32.png) [@beckwall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beckwall)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2001, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-curl-your-tongue/78246/1 "2001-08-26T23:59:03Z")
It’s 117 degrees out, everything is dry as dirt, but I can still curl my tongue into a cute little tunnel whenever I want to. I was sitting at a stoplight, without water or entertainment, so I just started curling my tongue. I don’t even have to look in the mirror to do it. The next car over caught my act and laughed hysterically, but I continued anyway. Is this a gift or what? ---
**Author:** ![Whammo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8dc957/32.png) [@Whammo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whammo)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-curl-your-tongue/78246/2 "2001-08-27T00:05:59Z")
Its not a gift, its genetic. ---
**Author:** ![Palve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a698b9/32.png) [@Palve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palve)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-curl-your-tongue/78246/3 "2001-08-27T00:06:19Z")
Yes, indeed I can and I pride myself in doing so (it’s one of the few skills I can claim to possess). ---
**Author:** ![Whammo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8dc957/32.png) [@Whammo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whammo)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-curl-your-tongue/78246/4 "2001-08-27T00:08:16Z")
…btw you’re weird. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-curl-your-tongue/78246/5 "2001-08-27T00:21:01Z")
Sure can…but I can’t raise just one eyebrow. ---
**Author:** ![Mauvaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mauvaise/32/11084_2.png) [@Mauvaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mauvaise)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-curl-your-tongue/78246/6 "2001-08-27T00:26:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Whammo \* > \*\*Its not a gift, its genetic. \*\* That may be, but it skipped my generation. My mom could and my father can, but I can’t without assistance 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Whammo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8dc957/32.png) [@Whammo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whammo)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-curl-your-tongue/78246/7 "2001-08-27T00:30:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mauvaise \* > \*\*That may be, but it skipped my generation. My mom could and my father can, but I can’t without assistance 😉 \*\* how many assistants does it take? ---
**Author:** ![Shera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Shera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shera)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-curl-your-tongue/78246/8 "2001-08-27T01:54:15Z")
I can do it, so can everyone else in my family. On a side note, I know someone who can tie a cherry stem into a knot with her tongue. Very cool. I wish I could do that. ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-curl-your-tongue/78246/9 "2001-08-27T02:05:23Z")
Not only is it genetic, it’s recessive. I can do it. I can also raise one eyebrow at a time (left or right, your choice), roll my eyes independantly of each other, kink the last joint of most of my fingers, double-kink one of my thumbs, do the vulcan thing with my hands, or seperate my pinky from the rest of my fingers a-la the hand defect in “The Visitors”. I was bored a fair bit as a child. ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-curl-your-tongue/78246/10 "2001-08-27T02:12:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Reeder \* > \*\*Sure can…but I can’t raise just one eyebrow. \*\* Same here. I don’t know anyone who can’t curl his or her tongue. ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-curl-your-tongue/78246/11 "2001-08-27T02:42:39Z")
I can do many wonderful things with my tongue, including knotting a cherry stem. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![hardygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@hardygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hardygrrl)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-curl-your-tongue/78246/12 "2001-08-27T02:43:17Z")
I can’t curl my tongue into a tunnel but I can fold it backwards so the tip points to my throat and hold that position for about two minutes. Weird party tricks, table of one. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![GrizzRich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ba0ec/32.png) [@GrizzRich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrizzRich)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-curl-your-tongue/78246/13 "2001-08-27T02:44:51Z")
yes I can… … and it gives my wife a perpetual smile!!! \ ---
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-curl-your-tongue/78246/14 "2001-08-27T03:17:22Z")
My mom can do it and so can most of my brothers, but not me of course. They can also do that kinking the last joint of the fingers thing, which I can’t do either. Sigh. I’m so plain. On an interesting sidenote, my Aunt could write upside down and backwards at the same time. I mean the writing was upside down and backwards that is. If you turned it right side up and looked at it in a mirror it was perfectly legible. Amused us kids no end. ---
**Author:** ![AwSnappity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a3d4f5/32.png) [@AwSnappity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AwSnappity)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-curl-your-tongue/78246/15 "2001-08-27T03:18:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tranquilis \* > **…I can also raise one eyebrow at a time (left or right, your choice)…kink the last joint of most of my fingers…** I can do those too! Many a person has been grossed out by my weird fingers. As for the tongue thing, I used to not be able to do it. But then I worked very hard, and now I can. It’s a true story, I swear! My sister can put her tongue so it’s like a three-humped W. Like UUU. It’s crazy! ---
**Author:** ![Ferggie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@Ferggie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferggie)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-curl-your-tongue/78246/16 "2001-08-27T03:38:11Z")
I can roll my tongue two ways – the tunnel and the backflip. I find I can raise my left eyebrow with no real effort, but raising my right brow requires forcibly lowering my left at the same time. Now…can anyone move one eye independently of the other (on purpose, I mean)? If I start out with my eyes crossed, I can. Once crossed, I’ll look the other direction with one eye, move it back to center, then do the same thing with the other eye. I call this my “dancing eye trick.” However, I cannot make both eyes look toward the outer corners at once. Every time I try it starts to hurt, so I figure it’s not a good idea. God didn’t make me a chameleon, after all… ---
**Author:** ![Mauvaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mauvaise/32/11084_2.png) [@Mauvaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mauvaise)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-curl-your-tongue/78246/17 "2001-08-27T03:40:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Whammo \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Mauvaise \* > > \*\*That may be, but it skipped my generation. My mom could and my father can, but I can’t without assistance 😉 \*\* > > how many assistants does it take? \*\* Just one willing participant 😃 ---
**Author:** ![shell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/46a35a/32.png) [@shell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shell)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-curl-your-tongue/78246/18 "2001-08-27T03:42:49Z")
Can curl my tongue and wiggle my ears and cross my eyes all at the same time… my kids think I’m a little odd sometimes. ---
**Author:** ![Cosmopolitan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/94ad74/32.png) [@Cosmopolitan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cosmopolitan)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-curl-your-tongue/78246/19 "2001-08-27T03:45:01Z")
Yep, I can curl my tongue. Feels a little weird though, what with the tongue piercing 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Never\_Say\_Dice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ee59a6/32.png) [@Never\_Say\_Dice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Never_Say_Dice)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2001, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-curl-your-tongue/78246/20 "2001-08-27T03:53:14Z")
Isn’t it connected to wiggling your ears? The only people I knew who could do one could do the other. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-curl-your-tongue/78246.md?page=2)