# hiccups

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hiccups/158270>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 28, 2003, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hiccups/158270 "2003-02-28T23:59:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![jessier88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/57b2e6/32.png) [@jessier88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jessier88)\
**Post date:** [February 28, 2003, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hiccups/158270/1 "2003-02-28T23:59:25Z")

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What’s the best way to get rid of hiccups?

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**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2003, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hiccups/158270/2 "2003-03-01T00:38:44Z")

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My personal method is to relax, close my eyes, and clear my mind as completely as possible. Then I breathe very slowly, and deeply in and out, concentrating on nothing but the breathing, and ignoring any hiccups that occur. They usually go away within a minute or so. Yeah, I know it sounds very Zen, but it seems to work for me.

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**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2003, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hiccups/158270/3 "2003-03-01T00:41:44Z")

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Drink a glass of water from the opposite side of the glass. You have to bend at the waist to actually get liquid in your mouth. I guarantee it will work, or my name isn’t Castor 1703.

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**Author:** ![jessier88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/57b2e6/32.png) [@jessier88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jessier88)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2003, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hiccups/158270/4 "2003-03-01T02:19:30Z")

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With the “other end of the glass” trick I always seem to spill the water all over myself!!! hmmmm? Hiccups v. wet shirt??? Guess I need to practice that one in the shower!! 😛

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**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2003, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hiccups/158270/5 "2003-03-01T02:57:36Z")

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Drink a glass of water with your fingers in your ears.

People do this either by having someone else hold the glass or by holding the glass in two hands with fingers spread and sticking their thumbs in their ears. My method is to use a small kids plasic cup and hold it between my teeth and slowly tip back my head. Never fails me.

One night I got really bad hiccups in a pub. The barman gave me a straight shot of Grenadine and told me to throw it straight down. That worked. He said it works with any really sweet liquid like undiluted cordial.

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**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2003, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hiccups/158270/6 "2003-03-01T03:35:31Z")

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**Cecil Adams** [on hiccups.](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_118.html)

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**Author:** ![antechinus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2003, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hiccups/158270/7 "2003-03-01T09:21:40Z")

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The method that always get rid of hiccoughs for me without fail is to drink water such that peristalsis works against gravity. Take a big mouthful of water, put your head down, bum up and drink.