# "Dumb but impressive tricks" Whats yours? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 12, 2010, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-but-impressive-tricks-whats-yours/524670 "2010-01-12T16:15:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Qwakkeddup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/90ced4/32.png) [@Qwakkeddup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qwakkeddup)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-but-impressive-tricks-whats-yours/524670/1 "2010-01-12T16:15:15Z")
I knew a guy who would finish a two liter, or other plastic bottle, and suck all the air out until flat. It may not have been perfect, but he well surpassed anything I could have done, as well as anyone else in the shop. My own dumb but impressive trick was to toss my cigarette into the air and catch it in my mouth. Unlit of course. So, how do you/did you show off? ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-but-impressive-tricks-whats-yours/524670/2 "2010-01-12T16:21:44Z")
I’ve done yoga, off and on. I can touch my big toe on either foot to my nose. ---
**Author:** ![BobArrgh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobarrgh/32/2881_2.png) [@BobArrgh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobArrgh)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-but-impressive-tricks-whats-yours/524670/3 "2010-01-12T16:25:32Z")
I do a “Jack O’Lantern” trick where I light a match and put it into my mouth, still burning. I close my teeth around the match and grin. It looks AWESOME in the dark! And, the time I was showing it to my fiancee in the fancy restaurant and started laughing and my tongue touched the lit end and reacted by pushing it into the roof of my mouth, burning the inside of my mouth? Not quite so awesome. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-but-impressive-tricks-whats-yours/524670/4 "2010-01-12T16:35:16Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > I’ve done yoga, off and on. > > I can touch my big toe on either foot to my nose. While standing? ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-but-impressive-tricks-whats-yours/524670/5 "2010-01-12T16:41:47Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > While standing? No, while sitting or lying down. My sense of balance is crap. ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-but-impressive-tricks-whats-yours/524670/6 "2010-01-12T16:45:41Z")
I can wiggle my ears, and bend the first joint of my thumbs back behind the back of my hand. My shoulders used to be loose enough for me to put one arm up and one arm down, and grab my wrists behind my neck, but now I can only go as far as fingertips to palms. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-but-impressive-tricks-whats-yours/524670/7 "2010-01-12T16:49:52Z")
I can wiggle my ears, move my scalp and glasses. Go me. ---
**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:** [January 12, 2010, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-but-impressive-tricks-whats-yours/524670/8 "2010-01-12T16:57:14Z")
I can: - crack ankles, elbows, hips, shoulders and neck. All 20 fingers and toes go without saying, but knees, jaw and wrists still elude me. - lick my own nose. - Flip my eyelids inside out. Very gross looking, but much less weird than what a friend could do : he could make his eyes sort of bulge out of their sockets and vibrate like crazy. Outstandingly creepy. ETA : > [@](#): > > My shoulders used to be loose enough for me to put one arm up and one arm down, and grab my wrists behind my neck So do I, but I thought everyone could. For that matter, I can also touch my elbows behind my back. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-but-impressive-tricks-whats-yours/524670/9 "2010-01-12T17:04:00Z")
I can to the ridiculously easy but extremely impressive “quarter catch”: 1. Lift your arm, bent at the elbow, so your forearm is nearly flat. 2. Place a coin (a quarter is best, but any size will work) about two inches past your elbow. 3. Now swing your arm down. The coin will fall into your hand. It takes about 30 seconds of practice to master this. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-but-impressive-tricks-whats-yours/524670/10 "2010-01-12T17:05:19Z")
I can lick my nose. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-but-impressive-tricks-whats-yours/524670/11 "2010-01-12T17:13:55Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > I can wiggle my ears, move my scalp and glasses. Go me. Me too. And wiggle the tip of my nose. . . and wiggle one ear at a time. Hey, you had to keep yourself occupied somehow during the homily! ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-but-impressive-tricks-whats-yours/524670/12 "2010-01-12T17:20:05Z")
Stick a fork in my left arm or leg at picnics; usually more the biker kind. I have no sense of pain in my limbs on the left and I found it an “instant freak” to sit there balancing my plate and just stick the fork in my arm while having a beer or something. ---
**Author:** ![Jumpbass](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jumpbass/32/147_2.png) [@Jumpbass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jumpbass)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-but-impressive-tricks-whats-yours/524670/13 "2010-01-12T17:33:35Z")
I can wiggle my ears. I can wiggle my nose either flaring the nostrils or move the tip up and down. I can raise either eyebrow. Not only that, I can raise the outside ends, the inside ends and make them do a “wave” motion. Now… how to make money doing it. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-but-impressive-tricks-whats-yours/524670/14 "2010-01-12T17:50:31Z")
> [@Jumpbass](#): > > I can raise either eyebrow. Not only that, I can raise the outside ends, the inside ends and make them do a “wave” motion. Video, please. I have _got_ to see that. I can rotate my hands in a full circle at my wrist. That is, if I’m standing next to a table with my hand flat on it, I can spin it around 360 degrees perpendicular to my arm. ---
**Author:** ![Valgard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7feea3/32.png) [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-but-impressive-tricks-whats-yours/524670/15 "2010-01-12T18:02:15Z")
> [@Qwakkeddup](#): > > My own dumb but impressive trick was to toss my cigarette into the air and catch it in my mouth. Unlit of course. I saw a video from an old IJA convention where a guy did a similar trick prefaced with “Kids, don’t smoke. But if you do, light them all this way”. He tossed a cigarette behind his back and caught it in his mouth, then tossed a lit wooden kitchen match behind his back, caught it on the cigarette which caused it to light. I’m out of practice but back in my serious juggling days I could balance a chopstick vertically on my nose. Was able to do the quarter catch off the elbow thing with as large a stack of quarters as my hand could hold (30+, I think). I was also able to flip stacks of beermats (coasters) or playing cards off the edge of a table - you put them at the table edge about halfway over, then bring the back of your hand up from underneath (strike the overhanging coaster with your fingernails). The coaster does a flip in the air and you close your thumb, catching it. I could do a full pack of cards (loose) that way. ---
**Author:** ![palindromemordnilap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/db5fbb/32.png) [@palindromemordnilap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/palindromemordnilap)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-but-impressive-tricks-whats-yours/524670/16 "2010-01-12T18:35:51Z")
> [@Zsofia](#): > > I can lick my nose. I can actually touch the tip of my nose with my tongue and hold it there. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-but-impressive-tricks-whats-yours/524670/17 "2010-01-12T18:37:12Z")
I can bounce a quarter off a table and into a shot glass by rolling it down my nose. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-but-impressive-tricks-whats-yours/524670/18 "2010-01-12T18:50:53Z")
Drink a 12 oz. bottle of beer in under 10 seconds – using a straw. Yes, I follow the letter of that statement if not the spirit, but I do drink the beer, I do use the straw, and the beer is out of the bottle and in my stomach in under 10 seconds. And then I collect yet another bar bet. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-but-impressive-tricks-whats-yours/524670/19 "2010-01-12T18:54:31Z")
I can shape my tongue into a cloverleaf. I’ve heard it’s unusual to be able to flare your nostrils? Is that true? If that’s the case, then there’s at least one thing I’m versatile at. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2010, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-but-impressive-tricks-whats-yours/524670/20 "2010-01-12T18:57:03Z")
I can lick my nose, too. It seems to be fairly common here, but I hear it’s even more common at a certain other message board. Maybe that’s why it won’t give you AIDS. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dumb-but-impressive-tricks-whats-yours/524670.md?page=2)