# Spit or Swallow?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spit-or-swallow/348623>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [March 16, 2006, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spit-or-swallow/348623 "2006-03-16T17:50:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Winston\_Smith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e95f7d/32.png) [@Winston\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Winston_Smith)\
**Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spit-or-swallow/348623/1 "2006-03-16T17:50:40Z")

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When you’ve got a cold and a lot of congestion is coming up, do you spit it out, or swallow it? SmithWife is too ladylike spit it out, so _always swallows_. God Bless Her. Me? I spit it out - blech.

What about you?

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**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\
**Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spit-or-swallow/348623/2 "2006-03-16T17:52:15Z")

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I swallow it. Easy rationalisation: you’re pretty much constantly swallowing mucus. Saying blech to the idea is like saying “no, not saliva! Not in my MOUTH!”

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**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\
**Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spit-or-swallow/348623/3 "2006-03-16T18:20:40Z")

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Cough it up and spit it out-that’s the only way to get rid of it.

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**Author:** ![YaWanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/bbce88/32.png) [@YaWanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YaWanna)\
**Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spit-or-swallow/348623/4 "2006-03-16T18:32:53Z")

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I do my best to spit it out - that mucus is teeming with germs, and all the medical experts I’ve consulted have advised that you should not swallow it (the bacteria/virus that is in your upper respiratory tract may not be in your digestive tract, after all - and putting it there may upset the natural flora of your digestive system). I only swallow it if I have nothing acceptable to spit it into, or if I just can’t get it all the way up to my mouth to spit it out (which is very frustrating). Ladylike? Pshew, nobody’s really ladylike with mucus gumming up the works.

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**Author:** ![batsto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b2d939/32.png) [@batsto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/batsto)\
**Post date:** [March 16, 2006, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spit-or-swallow/348623/5 "2006-03-16T19:05:25Z")

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I always spit it out. Swallowing it makes me gag, to the point of nearly vomiting.