# There's a pen on the ground. Can you pick it up with your feet/toes? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 6, 2012, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-pen-on-the-ground-can-you-pick-it-up-with-your-feet-toes/617968 "2012-04-06T02:18:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-pen-on-the-ground-can-you-pick-it-up-with-your-feet-toes/617968/61 "2012-06-02T03:25:51Z")
Not being a chimpanzee, no. That would be anathema in Thai culture anyway. The feet is the lowest part of the body in more ways than one. The wife would rather I picked something up with my ass than with my feet. That would be just too horrible for her. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-pen-on-the-ground-can-you-pick-it-up-with-your-feet-toes/617968/62 "2012-06-02T04:21:50Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Buttercup\_Smith](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buttercup_smith/32/473_2.png) [@Buttercup\_Smith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buttercup_Smith)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-pen-on-the-ground-can-you-pick-it-up-with-your-feet-toes/617968/63 "2012-06-02T05:08:10Z")
YES ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-pen-on-the-ground-can-you-pick-it-up-with-your-feet-toes/617968/64 "2012-06-02T05:26:14Z")
Before getting pseudogout in my feet, I had very flexible feet and had no trouble picking things up with my toes. mrAru can still pick stuff up with his feet. ---
**Author:** ![Uzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/91b2a8/32.png) [@Uzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uzi)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-pen-on-the-ground-can-you-pick-it-up-with-your-feet-toes/617968/65 "2012-06-02T06:50:16Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > I can spread and push together my toes with some pretty impressive force, for toes. I can pinch you something fierce with my toes! šŸ˜ƒ I have long toes (no not as long as fingers, ick!). My wife was freakinā€™ because I picked up something once while sitting on the couch, so I grabbed her fingers with my toes. She couldnā€™t break free. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-pen-on-the-ground-can-you-pick-it-up-with-your-feet-toes/617968/66 "2012-06-02T07:03:41Z")
Whenever the circumstances require it. šŸ™‚ Being barefoot when Iā€™m at home it would be a waste not to use all available extremities. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-pen-on-the-ground-can-you-pick-it-up-with-your-feet-toes/617968/67 "2012-06-02T07:47:58Z")
All the time! My phalanges are toetally flexible. ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-pen-on-the-ground-can-you-pick-it-up-with-your-feet-toes/617968/68 "2012-06-02T08:20:05Z")
Yeah. All the time. ---
**Author:** ![ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a8b319/32.png) [@ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryan)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-pen-on-the-ground-can-you-pick-it-up-with-your-feet-toes/617968/69 "2012-06-02T08:22:53Z")
Other. I used to be able to do things like this, even with my short, stubby toes but due to advancing diabetic neuropathy I no longer have the sensitivity and control to do so. So I voted ā€œcanā€™t, but coolā€. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-pen-on-the-ground-can-you-pick-it-up-with-your-feet-toes/617968/70 "2012-06-02T08:43:35Z")
Tinea. ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-pen-on-the-ground-can-you-pick-it-up-with-your-feet-toes/617968/71 "2012-06-02T10:14:56Z")
Yep. And Iā€™ve been known to open the sliding door with a foot when my hands were full, slam car doors, flush public toilets with my foot, and even use my toes to hold something when I needed three hands for a fiddly bit of fixing something. **Cub Mistress** , my husband says I have prehensile toes too šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-pen-on-the-ground-can-you-pick-it-up-with-your-feet-toes/617968/72 "2012-06-02T11:46:43Z")
Yep, another one here with prehensile toes. ---
**Author:** ![Doody\_Pants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@Doody\_Pants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doody_Pants)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-pen-on-the-ground-can-you-pick-it-up-with-your-feet-toes/617968/73 "2012-06-02T12:32:26Z")
Yes, I have monkey feet. I can also give my husband a good pinch with my toes if he says something fresh while we are cuddling under a blanket. If he can see my foot coming he will kick me. He has Flintstone feet, the perfect counterbalance to my monkey feet. ---
**Author:** ![StuffLikeThatThere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc8723/32.png) [@StuffLikeThatThere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StuffLikeThatThere)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-pen-on-the-ground-can-you-pick-it-up-with-your-feet-toes/617968/74 "2012-06-02T13:08:52Z")
Yes. Itā€™s why my freshman year college roommate called me Monkey Toes. (Still does sometimes.) ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-pen-on-the-ground-can-you-pick-it-up-with-your-feet-toes/617968/75 "2012-06-02T13:28:10Z")
I thought everyone could, you mean there are people who canā€™t bend their toes? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-pen-on-the-ground-can-you-pick-it-up-with-your-feet-toes/617968/76 "2012-06-02T13:34:16Z")
> [@Quintas](#): > > Random laundry in the floor. Grab it with your toes and toss it into your hand as you walk by? Since there was a recent thread, with poll, in IMHO, I have merged your thread into that. **twickster** , MPSIMS moderator ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-pen-on-the-ground-can-you-pick-it-up-with-your-feet-toes/617968/77 "2012-06-02T13:57:39Z")
> [@saje](#): > > ā€¦ > even use my toes to hold something when I needed three hands for a fiddly bit of fixing something. > > **Cub Mistress** , my husband says I have prehensile toes too šŸ™‚ Yesterday I had to tape two pieces of Coroplast end to end, so to keep them aligned while I stretched the tape over the seam y held the pieces in place with my toes. Look momma!, both hands \*and \*both feet! She would be so proudā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2012, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-pen-on-the-ground-can-you-pick-it-up-with-your-feet-toes/617968/78 "2012-06-02T14:05:46Z")
Can I take off my shoes first? ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2012, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-pen-on-the-ground-can-you-pick-it-up-with-your-feet-toes/617968/79 "2012-06-03T03:42:57Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Can I take off my shoes first? Cheater. ---
**Author:** ![SticksAndString](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@SticksAndString](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SticksAndString)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2012, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-pen-on-the-ground-can-you-pick-it-up-with-your-feet-toes/617968/80 "2012-06-04T01:43:14Z")
I can and do! I can also make my big toe point straight up while my other toes are curled under, like Iā€™m pointing a finger at somebody. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-pen-on-the-ground-can-you-pick-it-up-with-your-feet-toes/617968.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/theres-a-pen-on-the-ground-can-you-pick-it-up-with-your-feet-toes/617968.md?page=5)