# Can you gleek? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 19, 2006, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-gleek/340722 "2006-01-19T21:17:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-gleek/340722/1 "2006-01-19T21:17:36Z")
Maybe everybody can, and it’s just that some of us once yawned while reading and noticed that, as sometimes happens, we’d sprayed saliva onto the page; and we select few then took the next step to delibererately recreate this function so we can do it at will. Silently. To people sitting in front us us. If you have no idea what I mean: [http://www.doubletongued.org/index.php/dictionary/gleek/](http://www.doubletongued.org/index.php/dictionary/gleek/) ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-gleek/340722/2 "2006-01-19T21:21:22Z")
Ew. Precision targetting spitters. Ew. And … no. I don’t gleek. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-gleek/340722/3 "2006-01-19T22:00:26Z")
In elementary school (some 20 years ago), gleeking was the fashionable way of attacking your classmates without spitting on them. Being able to gleek with good distance was a sought-after talent, and there was no greater joy than being able to gleek on someone in the middle of a class while the teacher had his or her back turned. You can’t hear someone gleek the way you can hear them spit. And, thanks to you, I find myself trying to see if I can still do it, and consequently am now wiping off my monitor. Teehee. ---
**Author:** ![dogbutler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogbutler/32/428_2.png) [@dogbutler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogbutler)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-gleek/340722/4 "2006-01-19T22:08:06Z")
I can gleek. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Susie\_Derkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47774/32.png) [@Susie\_Derkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susie_Derkins)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-gleek/340722/5 "2006-01-19T22:14:21Z")
I can totally gleek. It impresses the hell out of my daughter. ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-gleek/340722/6 "2006-01-19T22:14:50Z")
I can’t do it on command, but it’s happened to me during a yawn. Always a little startling. I only recently learned the name for it was “gleek” from my brother in law. He’s quite adept at it, and a bit of an enthusiast. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-gleek/340722/7 "2006-01-19T22:17:12Z")
I’ve been able to do it for many years, but I couldn’t when I was a kid (and it would have been really useful!) Incidentally, it launches port. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-gleek/340722/8 "2006-01-19T22:17:53Z")
> [@Anastasaeon](#): > > He’s quite adept at it, and _ **a bit of an enthusiast** _. You can’t just say that and walk away without providing examples and details! Inquiring minds, and such… :::waits patiently::: ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-gleek/340722/9 "2006-01-19T22:56:52Z")
Nope, never was able to. What’s the secret? ---
**Author:** ![Burrido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Burrido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Burrido)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-gleek/340722/10 "2006-01-19T23:06:56Z")
It takes alot of practice. I can make it up to about 2 ft sometimes. This was super popular when I was growing up in the early 90s. ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2006, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-gleek/340722/11 "2006-01-19T23:49:53Z")
Only accidentally. I love the sound of “gleek”. It makes me giggle. ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2006, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-gleek/340722/12 "2006-01-20T00:30:14Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > You can’t just say that and walk away without providing examples and details! Inquiring minds, and such… > > :::waits patiently::: He can hit me, sitting across the table from him at our favourite mexican restaurant. And he’s enthused about doing so. Then he hits his father, then his brother, then, perhaps, a random passerby. Perhaps the waiter, as well, in lieu of a tip. If you even utter the word “gleek” aloud, he appears as if from nowhere, showing off his gleeking abilities. Fortunately for most of us, the word “gleek” isn’t a terribly common utterance. I’m a little concerned about this thread somehow attracting his attention, though. He would most certainly gleek all over it. ---
**Author:** ![some\_white\_dude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b487fb/32.png) [@some\_white\_dude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/some_white_dude)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2006, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-gleek/340722/13 "2006-01-20T04:05:38Z")
I had a friend who could do this on command. He used to gleek on people standing in line at Cedar Point (just some amusement park on Lake Erie, for those who didn’t know). Can anyone explain how it’s done? ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2006, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-gleek/340722/14 "2006-01-20T04:30:30Z")
I can gleek _and_ sneck. ---
**Author:** ![Susie\_Derkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47774/32.png) [@Susie\_Derkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susie_Derkins)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2006, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-gleek/340722/15 "2006-01-20T04:36:30Z")
Ah, but can you queef? ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2006, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-gleek/340722/16 "2006-01-20T04:40:30Z")
Oh my gosh. I do this when I yawn, but had no idea that one could learn to do it voluntarily. Will someone PLEASE post a gleeking tutorial? ---
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2006, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-gleek/340722/17 "2006-01-20T04:49:02Z")
Well my ignorance has been fought for the day. I’ve always thought it was “gleeg”. I’m another of the folks who can do it rarely and randomly during a yawn, but not at whim. A childhood friend of mine was quite talented at it. A true salivary artist. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2006, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-gleek/340722/18 "2006-01-20T05:04:25Z")
I used to be able to, but I just tried, and didn’t get much other than my bottom lip. Tongue hard against the roof of the mouth, then a strong muscular contraction of that, uh, bottom of the tongue bit where it attaches your tongue to the, um, floor of your mouth. Some tensing of the jaw is involved. So basically, tongue up and out of the way, and a press-forward contraction of the undertongue that normally is out of sight. It used to spray fresh saliva straight up and out over my bottom teeth. Jeez, I’m glad no one’s home to see me practise this. ---
**Author:** ![Strinka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strinka/32/512_2.png) [@Strinka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strinka)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2006, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-gleek/340722/19 "2006-01-20T05:04:30Z")
Umm… I read the description in the link. How is it any different than spitting? ---
**Author:** ![Tentacle\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2006, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-gleek/340722/20 "2006-01-20T05:28:00Z")
> [@Strinka](#): > > Umm… I read the description in the link. How is it any different than spitting? Because it squirts directly from the salivary gland. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-gleek/340722.md?page=2)