# Have you ever licked a 9-volt battery? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 16, 2011, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-licked-a-9-volt-battery/606461 "2011-12-16T22:51:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-licked-a-9-volt-battery/606461/21 "2011-12-17T04:16:56Z")
I licked quite a few when I was a teenager. We used a lot of 9v batteries in our garage band–for homemade fuzzboxes, mike mixers and other assorted small electronics. (not to mention transistor radios) ---
**Author:** ![I\_Made\_French\_Toast\_For\_You](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/858c86/32.png) [@I\_Made\_French\_Toast\_For\_You](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Made_French_Toast_For_You)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-licked-a-9-volt-battery/606461/22 "2011-12-17T04:22:30Z")
It’s polls like this that make me feel like a crazy person. I’ve never done it, never heard of it, and it seems like such a bizarre thing to do – yet I’m in the minority. Please, what does it feel/taste like? ---
**Author:** ![breezman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@breezman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/breezman)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-licked-a-9-volt-battery/606461/23 "2011-12-17T05:05:21Z")
I’ve been doing this for years. When I was a kid I reasoned that one of those 6 volt lantern batteries would feel weaker than a 9 volt. I was wrong. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-licked-a-9-volt-battery/606461/24 "2011-12-17T05:17:30Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Nope, never done it, and, as has been said, now that I’ve heard so much about it, I can’t get myself to do it. **Same goes for getting a piece of foil in my mouth (against my fillings)**. > Oddly though, I’ve had plenty of 120v shocks and getting another isn’t exactly something I live in fear of. Assuming it doesn’t actually kill me, it’s not all that painful. Don’t ever try this. Not trying to hijack the thread but this warning is too important to pass on. IT HURTS SO BAD, MY GOD IT HURTS. But no, really go ahead and try it, don’t listen to me. Have fun. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-licked-a-9-volt-battery/606461/25 "2011-12-17T05:27:47Z")
> [@I\_Made\_French\_Toast\_For\_You](#): > > It’s polls like this that make me feel like a crazy person. I’ve never done it, never heard of it, and it seems like such a bizarre thing to do – yet I’m in the minority. > > Please, what does it feel/taste like? a full 9V might be a sharp unpleasing sensation. less might be a tingle. lower voltage yet would be a metallic taste. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-licked-a-9-volt-battery/606461/26 "2011-12-17T05:55:39Z")
Tested a couple of 9v batteries that way just this week. One was still good. FTR: I test D cells the same way… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Terraplane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Terraplane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terraplane)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-licked-a-9-volt-battery/606461/27 "2011-12-17T06:54:44Z")
> [@I\_Made\_French\_Toast\_For\_You](#): > > It’s polls like this that make me feel like a crazy person. I’ve never done it, never heard of it, and it seems like such a bizarre thing to do – yet I’m in the minority. > > Please, what does it feel/taste like? I don’t think it feels like anything else. It’s like the tiniest bit of muscle cramp pain for a fraction of a second, mixed with the taste of metal (maybe pennies?) for a bit longer. Also your tongue will twitch a bit without you asking it to. It doesn’t hurt in the way a bee sting or a burn or a pinch might, and for some people it doesn’t hurt at all, but it is an odd unpleasant sensation. If you’ve never tried it you should, at least once. It’s over in a moment and it’s a feeling you’re never likely to experience otherwise. I know what it feels like, I don’t like it at all, but once in a while I’ll still touch a set of 9 volt terminals to my tongue just because it’s so damn weird that the novelty of the sensation is worth the discomfort. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-licked-a-9-volt-battery/606461/28 "2011-12-17T07:12:09Z")
> [@Terraplane](#): > > If you’ve never tried it you should, at least once. It’s over in a moment and it’s a feeling you’re never likely to experience otherwise. I know what it feels like, I don’t like it at all, but once in a while I’ll still touch a set of 9 volt terminals to my tongue just because it’s so damn weird that the novelty of the sensation is worth the discomfort. You should try horse-wire… ---
**Author:** ![Sudden\_Kestrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Sudden\_Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sudden_Kestrel)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-licked-a-9-volt-battery/606461/29 "2011-12-17T07:17:53Z")
> [@obbn](#): > > Don’t ever try this. Not trying to hijack the thread but this warning is too important to pass on. IT HURTS SO BAD, MY GOD IT HURTS. But no, really go ahead and try it, don’t listen to me. Have fun. This is one reason I will never order a baked potato in a restaurant. They sometimes bake them wrapped in foil and then cut down _through the foil_ before they serve them to you. I get the screaming panics just thinking about it. ---
**Author:** ![Terraplane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Terraplane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terraplane)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-licked-a-9-volt-battery/606461/30 "2011-12-17T07:37:28Z")
> [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > You should try horse-wire… I just got done typing a response to another electrically themed thread, [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14575361&postcount=33). I think I’ll pass on your horse-wire. 9-volts are about as daring as I’m comfortable with. ---
**Author:** ![Teacake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Teacake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teacake)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-licked-a-9-volt-battery/606461/31 "2011-12-17T12:57:45Z")
Just because you asked, I went and tried it. Hmm. Weird sensation! ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-licked-a-9-volt-battery/606461/32 "2011-12-17T18:37:33Z")
An odd effect I always wanted to know about if I’m the only one who experiences it, but never really found a way to bring it up in casual conversation: besides the tingle and metallic taste, it makes me salivate, quite a lot. In fact, reading this thread, the vivid memory of the feel and taste has been having the same effect… ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-licked-a-9-volt-battery/606461/33 "2011-12-17T18:56:05Z")
I love the sensation of licking a 9 volt. There’s just something special about the feel of electrons running over your tongue. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-licked-a-9-volt-battery/606461/34 "2011-12-17T19:10:48Z")
> [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](#): > > An odd effect I always wanted to know about if I’m the only one who experiences it, but never really found a way to bring it up in casual conversation: besides the tingle and metallic taste, it makes me salivate, quite a lot. In fact, reading this thread, the vivid memory of the feel and taste has been having the same effect… Pavlov’s battery. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-licked-a-9-volt-battery/606461/35 "2011-12-17T19:45:26Z")
> [@Prelude\_to\_Fascination](#): > > Yep, although it’s been many years. The strange thing is, that I can taste it and feel it now–a powerful memory. Yes, it never leaves you, does it? That rather metallic sensation is sort of on the cusp between “intriguing” and “unpleasant”. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-licked-a-9-volt-battery/606461/36 "2011-12-18T17:22:18Z")
> [@I\_Made\_French\_Toast\_For\_You](#): > > It’s polls like this that make me feel like a crazy person. I’ve never done it, never heard of it, and it seems like such a bizarre thing to do – yet I’m in the minority. My feeling exactly. And someday I’ll learn how to do multiple quotes, but **JohnT** said “I’m sure it’s been asked before, but how else would you know the thing is charged?” to which I say, We always had a little battery tester device. Still do. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-licked-a-9-volt-battery/606461/37 "2011-12-18T17:26:50Z")
> [@kittenblue](#): > > “I’m sure it’s been asked before, but how else would you know the thing is charged?” to which I say, We always had a little battery tester device. Still do. See my post #3. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![I\_Made\_French\_Toast\_For\_You](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/858c86/32.png) [@I\_Made\_French\_Toast\_For\_You](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Made_French_Toast_For_You)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-licked-a-9-volt-battery/606461/38 "2011-12-18T18:01:52Z")
I think it’s hilarious that, according to the results, licking 9-volt batteries is very much a guy thing to do. It makes me think there’s something else going on here (i.e. it must somehow make your dick feel good). I swear to god, if you people are withholding some crucial information from me, I’ll be very pissed. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-licked-a-9-volt-battery/606461/39 "2011-12-18T19:12:09Z")
> [@I\_Made\_French\_Toast\_For\_You](#): > > I swear to god, if you people are withholding some crucial information from me, I’ll be very pissed. Nah, my Dad taught it to me when “we” were working on something and I was very young. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-licked-a-9-volt-battery/606461/40 "2011-12-19T16:31:32Z")
> [@Ximenean](#): > > Yes, it never leaves you, does it? That rather metallic sensation is sort of on the cusp between “intriguing” and “unpleasant”. Yeah, now I want to go lick a battery! 🙂 I’m shocked at all the people who haven’t done it or even _heard_ of it. I question the health of their childhoods. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-licked-a-9-volt-battery/606461.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-licked-a-9-volt-battery/606461.md?page=3)