# Non-nails-on-chalkboard noises that give you the nails-on-chalkboard feeling **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 30, 2005, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-nails-on-chalkboard-noises-that-give-you-the-nails-on-chalkboard-feeling/333410 "2005-11-30T17:48:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-nails-on-chalkboard-noises-that-give-you-the-nails-on-chalkboard-feeling/333410/61 "2005-12-02T04:26:29Z")
> [@the brave navel](#): > > You know that sound you get when someone goes to erase something with the end of a pencil and the eraser is completely worn down? My skin’s crawling in waves at the thought. Oh, this one. And when someone scrapes a ballpoint pen across a paper without clicking it. _shudder_ Also nails on paper, but that’s not as extreme. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-nails-on-chalkboard-noises-that-give-you-the-nails-on-chalkboard-feeling/333410/62 "2005-12-02T04:34:30Z")
A lot of these bother me a little, some quite a lot, but no one has mentioned the one that can make my eyes roll back in my head at the merest suggestion… But like **delphica** , it’s more a feeling translated to sound in my head. Velvet. Mostly crushed, via the 70s I think, that the thought of touching makes me want to hurl myself from anything tall enough to kill me. Unfortunately, in the very flat plains of East Texas, that pretty much leaves only the eaves of the house. But I am so okay with that. ::: shudder ::: ---
**Author:** ![3.885AM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/58956e/32.png) [@3.885AM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3.885AM)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-nails-on-chalkboard-noises-that-give-you-the-nails-on-chalkboard-feeling/333410/63 "2005-12-02T04:43:04Z")
My Mom had an aluminum pot she used to cook mashed potatoes. She would hold it right over my plate, and scrape out every last little bit with a metal spoon. Resulting in a seeming eternity of utter torment! ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-nails-on-chalkboard-noises-that-give-you-the-nails-on-chalkboard-feeling/333410/64 "2005-12-02T04:43:41Z")
> [@the brave navel](#): > > You know that sound you get when someone goes to erase something with the end of a pencil and the eraser is completely worn down? My skin’s crawling in waves at the thought. It seems there are several of us that can’t stand this one. \>shudder\< A child or baby screaming… you know that high pitched tantrum scream that is like an ice pick driven into your brain? The sound of satin rubbing against satin . Ewwwwwwwwwwwww!! ---
**Author:** ![EvilGhandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@EvilGhandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilGhandi)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-nails-on-chalkboard-noises-that-give-you-the-nails-on-chalkboard-feeling/333410/65 "2005-12-02T07:15:43Z")
Cornstarch. That stuff squeaks, um, kinda. When I push the spoon into the box it gives me the little micro-seizure. But for the full blown experience you must get enough into your mouth so there’s a dry “boundry” layer between your toungue and the roof. Like someone rubbing styrofoam in your brain. ---
**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-nails-on-chalkboard-noises-that-give-you-the-nails-on-chalkboard-feeling/333410/66 "2005-12-02T10:45:05Z")
I’m pretty laid back, not too many things get to me, but I can’t stand those bass speakers in cars. I hate getting stuck next to one in traffic, or at a stop light. It always conjures up an image of me walking around the offending car, w/ a 12ga. pump shotgun, blasting big holes into the body. Babies that are left to cry for long periods. ---
**Author:** ![ms.deanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@ms.deanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ms.deanna)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-nails-on-chalkboard-noises-that-give-you-the-nails-on-chalkboard-feeling/333410/67 "2005-12-02T17:13:58Z")
Dragging a metal folding chair across a concrete floor. Oh my Damn! ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-nails-on-chalkboard-noises-that-give-you-the-nails-on-chalkboard-feeling/333410/68 "2005-12-02T17:19:22Z")
Folding a sheet of paper in half, and then running your fingers down it over and over to crease it. ---
**Author:** ![mlerose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/43a26b/32.png) [@mlerose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlerose)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-nails-on-chalkboard-noises-that-give-you-the-nails-on-chalkboard-feeling/333410/69 "2005-12-02T17:34:52Z")
Teeth biting into tin foil. Ugh, that’s the worst for me. Also, pulling the cotton from a pill jar. I can SOMETIMES handle cotton balls, but I hate pulling the cotton from a jar. _shudder_ ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-nails-on-chalkboard-noises-that-give-you-the-nails-on-chalkboard-feeling/333410/70 "2005-12-02T18:17:39Z")
Not a sound that I can’t stand but a sound that annoys me once I notice it’s there: The chee-chee…chee-chee-chee of all the players shoes when you watch a basketball game on tv. Once I notice it, it’s all I hear for the rest of the game. The one that puts me in a rage though is when my dogs start licking themselves. “Knock It Off!!!” ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-nails-on-chalkboard-noises-that-give-you-the-nails-on-chalkboard-feeling/333410/71 "2005-12-02T18:56:54Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > The one that puts me in a rage though is when my dogs start licking themselves. “Knock It Off!!!” Jealous? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-nails-on-chalkboard-noises-that-give-you-the-nails-on-chalkboard-feeling/333410/72 "2005-12-02T22:12:24Z")
> [@EvilGhandi](#): > > Cornstarch. > > That stuff squeaks, um, kinda. When I push the spoon into the box it gives me the little micro-seizure. But for the full blown experience you must get enough into your mouth so there’s a dry “boundry” layer between your toungue and the roof. > > Like someone rubbing styrofoam in your brain. Cornstarch is the standard tool when a sound-effects person has to make the sound of walking in snow. That crunchy squeak sounds just like snow. ---
**Author:** ![KJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b2d939/32.png) [@KJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KJ)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2005, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-nails-on-chalkboard-noises-that-give-you-the-nails-on-chalkboard-feeling/333410/73 "2005-12-02T22:43:59Z")
I just discovered today that if I’m wearing my new hat (I think it’s cotton, but there’s no tag on it) and I try to adjust it with my new waterproof polyester gloves, I can hear a high pitched sound that drives me crazy. The hat just amplifies the sound. :smack: Also: Styrofoam against styrofoam Styrofoam against cardboard Cardboard against gravelly pavement Trying to erase with an eraser worn down to the metal Writing with a pencil (but only occasionally) Screaming babies Smacking/slurping sounds while eating My roommate attempting to whistle, and singing every single note way off key ---
**Author:** ![cerberus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2005, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-nails-on-chalkboard-noises-that-give-you-the-nails-on-chalkboard-feeling/333410/74 "2005-12-03T00:08:37Z")
Grinding teeth (shudder)… ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2005, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-nails-on-chalkboard-noises-that-give-you-the-nails-on-chalkboard-feeling/333410/75 "2005-12-03T00:24:51Z")
> [@EvilGhandi](#): > > Cornstarch. > > That stuff squeaks, um, kinda. When I push the spoon into the box it gives me the little micro-seizure. But for the full blown experience you must get enough into your mouth so there’s a dry “boundry” layer between your toungue and the roof. > > Like someone rubbing styrofoam in your brain. It does sound unpleasant, but wouldn’t getting that much dry cornstarch in your mouth be pretty easy to avoid? ---
**Author:** ![Rich\_Mann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce73a5/32.png) [@Rich\_Mann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rich_Mann)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2005, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-nails-on-chalkboard-noises-that-give-you-the-nails-on-chalkboard-feeling/333410/76 "2005-12-03T01:14:03Z")
I have a mild reaction to most of the stimuli mentioned. But what really sends ice-cold chills up and down my back are the voices of Stevie Nicks (sp?) and, to a slightly lesser degree, Robert Plant. I’ve hated them both since I first heard them, back before Noah’s flood. The thing is that the two voices are so dissimilar–I don’t know what it is about them that provokes the reaction. The only non-vocal sound that comes close is the sound of a bandsaw being used to cut a slab of meat with bones in it. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2005, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-nails-on-chalkboard-noises-that-give-you-the-nails-on-chalkboard-feeling/333410/77 "2005-12-03T02:37:58Z")
beeping things top my list because they’re usually designed to annoy you anyway. Same thing for people who A) dial a phone at work without pickup up the receiver, and B), stay on the speaker phone even when the line is busy. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, IT’S BUSY. WHAT DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND (I wish I looked more like Sam Kinnison in those situations). When Fax machines first came out they were 4 foot tall monsters. I remember beating one silly sideways after it defaulted for the 3rd time on a 14 page fax. It just kept beeping at me like some laughing electronic hyena. Had to wheel it outside and hammer the case door back into shape before it would work. Absolutely the worst sound you will ever likely hear is that of an arm or a leg snapping in half. Heard both playing soccer. Imagine running down a field and hearing what sounds like a broom stick snapping in two. I went down on all fours and to this day it makes me nauseous to think about it. That happened over 30 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2005, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-nails-on-chalkboard-noises-that-give-you-the-nails-on-chalkboard-feeling/333410/78 "2005-12-03T02:44:03Z")
> [@Rich Mann](#): > > I have a mild reaction to most of the stimuli mentioned. > > But what really sends ice-cold chills up and down my back are the voices of Stevie Nicks (sp?) and, to a slightly lesser degree, Robert Plant. I’ve hated them both since I first heard them, back before Noah’s flood. > > The thing is that the two voices are so dissimilar–I don’t know what it is about them that provokes the reaction. > > The only non-vocal sound that comes close is the sound of a bandsaw being used to cut a slab of meat with bones in it. What about Tom Petty or Tom Petty singing with Steve Nicks? ---
**Author:** ![Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mona_Lisa_Simpson)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2005, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-nails-on-chalkboard-noises-that-give-you-the-nails-on-chalkboard-feeling/333410/79 "2005-12-03T03:09:25Z")
Dry scraping noises in general. One in particular. Poster painted windows, after the holidays. When they get out the metal scraper… ewww… scrape the dried posterpaint (shudder) off the window. The scrape of the poster paint is bad enough but occasionally the putty knife slips and skerr-itches against the glass. (Full tilt shiver with hair on the back of the neck all standing up!) ---
**Author:** ![Rich\_Mann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce73a5/32.png) [@Rich\_Mann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rich_Mann)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2005, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-nails-on-chalkboard-noises-that-give-you-the-nails-on-chalkboard-feeling/333410/80 "2005-12-03T04:26:11Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > What about Tom Petty or Tom Petty singing with Steve Nicks? Actually, I like Tom Petty, but I have a friend that calls his voice ‘nails on chalkboard’. She feels the same way about Jon Anderson–one of my favorite singers. I guess everybody’s ears are constructed a little differently. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-nails-on-chalkboard-noises-that-give-you-the-nails-on-chalkboard-feeling/333410.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/non-nails-on-chalkboard-noises-that-give-you-the-nails-on-chalkboard-feeling/333410.md?page=5)