I am sure some of you will be gratified to know that there is a word for compulsive nose-picking. It’s called rhinotillexomania. There have been studies on this at the University of Wisconsin.
There must be something to the booger-cheese connection.
Robin
I’ve NEVER eaten a booger, the thought is just too revolting for words. There was a kid in elementary school who openly did, though. He also ate paste, chalk, and gum from under his desk, among other gross habits. His name is burned into my memory for all time.
Picking, OK, but EATING it is utterly disgusting!
Of course, I will now admit that I sometimes clear my stuffed up nose by snorting the stuff back into my throat and swallowing it. When I was a little kid I kept getting told not to do that, but it was so convenient …
Now, usually, nasal mining expeditions yield something dry enough to be flicked. If it isn’t, wiping it on the underside of a table or something is also disgusting, and possibly inconsiderate, though the only people likely to be victimized are other nose-miners and gum-parkers. The technique is to rub your hands or fingers together until the result becomes a little ball solid enough to flick.
Rolling into a ball is definitely my preferred technique. This also has the advantage that is can easily pass for dirt or a bit of sand to the casual observer.
Ugh. I hate this thread even more than the farts going up one.
Does anybody else have any factual information to contribute.
I’ve picked since childhood, when I used to wipe it on my jeans, but I was grossed out by the booger eaters, even though it seemed quite common. (What can I say?–just fastidious, I guess). My 80-year-old daddy has been a lifetime picker (are there awards for this?), and picks in front of me & his daughter-in-law. He flicks it.
Incidentally he used to be a college professor, like me. :eek: No, I don’t pick in front of my students.
Now I pick in private & keep a kleenex in my pocket to park it on. Why not use the kleenex, you ask? Aside from the fact that it sometimes doesn’t do the job, there’s the nose-gold miner’s sense of satisfaction at digging up a nice big chunk, or better yet–but all too rarely–when you get a chunk attached to a looong gelatinous thread and slowly pull the whole mess out. Check it to make sure it’s not your brain stem.
A few years ago, I saw Chinese women pick their noses in public. Quite an experience when your looking at a moderately attractive women–or having a conversation with one!–and she digs out a little chunk, then rolls it 'twixt thumb & forefinger & flicks it away. Now if I were really perverted, I’d snap it up in my mouth.