# Do women nowadays snap their legs open or shut to catch small items dropped while sitting? : "Gay?"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-nowadays-snap-their-legs-open-or-shut-to-catch-small-items-dropped-while-sitting-gay/645235>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [December 27, 2012, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-nowadays-snap-their-legs-open-or-shut-to-catch-small-items-dropped-while-sitting-gay/645235 "2012-12-27T00:09:35Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\
**Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-nowadays-snap-their-legs-open-or-shut-to-catch-small-items-dropped-while-sitting-gay/645235/21 "2012-12-28T19:45:54Z")

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I remember hearing Paul Harvey on the radio, back in the 1970s, explaining a “foolproof” method for telling long-haired boys from girls (obviously assuming college students or younger): How do they carry their books? Boys carry their books in one hand, at their side. Girls clutch their books to their chests.

Not sure if that would work nowadays, since both boys and girls seem to have to wear massive backpacks to carry everything.

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**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\
**Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-nowadays-snap-their-legs-open-or-shut-to-catch-small-items-dropped-while-sitting-gay/645235/22 "2012-12-28T19:46:54Z")

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> [@robert\_columbia](#):
>
> I wonder if anyone ever tried the legs open/closed trick with men of the Black Watch, who used to wear kilts _all_ the time. Apparently they don’t wear them all the time anymore.

They don’t have to wear them in the bath, now. 😉

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**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\
**Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-nowadays-snap-their-legs-open-or-shut-to-catch-small-items-dropped-while-sitting-gay/645235/23 "2012-12-28T19:50:44Z")

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even if a woman’s leg were open she would be quick to snatch an object.

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**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\
**Post date:** [December 28, 2012, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-women-nowadays-snap-their-legs-open-or-shut-to-catch-small-items-dropped-while-sitting-gay/645235/24 "2012-12-28T20:13:53Z")

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> [@Mister\_Rik](#):
>
> I remember hearing Paul Harvey on the radio, back in the 1970s, explaining a “foolproof” method for telling long-haired boys from girls (obviously assuming college students or younger): How do they carry their books? Boys carry their books in one hand, at their side. Girls clutch their books to their chests.
> 
> Not sure if that would work nowadays, since both boys and girls seem to have to wear massive backpacks to carry everything.

Yep, that was in the National Lampoon “Are You a Homo?” test too. If you clutched your books across your chest, also it was easier to see the time if the watch face was on the inner wrist. And if you wore preppy sweater vests with diamond patterns…

haven’t read this for decades…  
[![](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lSk4AbYU4tY/SA4yBvtacoI/AAAAAAAAASI/4vc11LrZwiQ/s1600-h/NLJul71b.jpg) ](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_lSk4AbYU4tY/SA4yBvtacoI/AAAAAAAAASI/4vc11LrZwiQ/s1600-h/NLJul71b.jpg)

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