# Mucous, Color and Consistency Question.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mucous-color-and-consistency-question/64589
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [May 7, 2001, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mucous-color-and-consistency-question/64589 "2001-05-07T01:54:23Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Chubbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chubbs)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2001, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mucous-color-and-consistency-question/64589/1 "2001-05-07T01:54:23Z")
Sorry for the gross question.
Why is it sometimes clear and runny and other times it’s green and thick? I thought you have one set of mucous membranes that produce the same mucous all the time. Usually during a cold it becomes think and nasty. Is it the body that is making it thick or is it the cold?
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### Author:  [@Ell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ell)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2001, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mucous-color-and-consistency-question/64589/2 "2001-05-07T02:00:21Z")
Try this [How does my nose produce so much snot so fast when I have a cold?](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a971017.html)
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### Author:  [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2001, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mucous-color-and-consistency-question/64589/3 "2001-05-07T02:00:36Z")
Green and thick means it’s full of bacterial waste products, i.e. you have an infection, up in your nose and/or sinuses.
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### Author:  [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)
#### Post date: [May 7, 2001, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mucous-color-and-consistency-question/64589/4 "2001-05-07T07:57:52Z")
Mucous is an adjective. The noun is spelled mucus. As in “Mucus is found on the mucous membranes.” One more little nugget of information I could do without.