# Very TMI-"Two in the pink & one in the stink"- Is this gesture well known or obscure? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 26, 2005, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-tmi-two-in-the-pink-one-in-the-stink-is-this-gesture-well-known-or-obscure/286720 "2005-01-26T06:18:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-tmi-two-in-the-pink-one-in-the-stink-is-this-gesture-well-known-or-obscure/286720/1 "2005-01-26T06:18:18Z")
First time I ever heard of it. Is this “shocker” a well known gesture or fairly obscure?? [The Strange Case of the Hanover High Shocker](http://www.rotten.com/library/language/the-finger/shocker/) ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-tmi-two-in-the-pink-one-in-the-stink-is-this-gesture-well-known-or-obscure/286720/2 "2005-01-26T06:56:34Z")
Familiar to me. ---
**Author:** ![brickbacon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-tmi-two-in-the-pink-one-in-the-stink-is-this-gesture-well-known-or-obscure/286720/3 "2005-01-26T07:44:14Z")
It is well known. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-tmi-two-in-the-pink-one-in-the-stink-is-this-gesture-well-known-or-obscure/286720/4 "2005-01-26T07:53:48Z")
Known of it for a while. ---
**Author:** ![picker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/picker/32/13969_2.png) [@picker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picker)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-tmi-two-in-the-pink-one-in-the-stink-is-this-gesture-well-known-or-obscure/286720/5 "2005-01-26T08:51:02Z")
I’ve known of it for quite a while - I’d have to guess at least five or six years, probably more. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-tmi-two-in-the-pink-one-in-the-stink-is-this-gesture-well-known-or-obscure/286720/6 "2005-01-26T09:12:24Z")
Saw it when I was in HS (near-on a decade ago, now). ‘Bowling’ was the phrase to go with. ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-tmi-two-in-the-pink-one-in-the-stink-is-this-gesture-well-known-or-obscure/286720/7 "2005-01-26T09:21:17Z")
Well known to me, since juniour high at least. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-tmi-two-in-the-pink-one-in-the-stink-is-this-gesture-well-known-or-obscure/286720/8 "2005-01-26T09:24:04Z")
First I’ve ever heard of it. ---
**Author:** ![grimpixie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecb155/32.png) [@grimpixie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grimpixie)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-tmi-two-in-the-pink-one-in-the-stink-is-this-gesture-well-known-or-obscure/286720/9 "2005-01-26T12:21:21Z")
> [@flodnak](#): > > First I’ve ever heard of it. Ditto. Grim ---
**Author:** ![Queen\_Tonya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/4491bb/32.png) [@Queen\_Tonya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Queen_Tonya)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-tmi-two-in-the-pink-one-in-the-stink-is-this-gesture-well-known-or-obscure/286720/10 "2005-01-26T12:51:37Z")
I’m familiar, although a few of the definitions in the article were new (to me) rhymes. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-tmi-two-in-the-pink-one-in-the-stink-is-this-gesture-well-known-or-obscure/286720/11 "2005-01-26T13:05:18Z")
I didn’t know the phrase or the hand sign. I thought it was some gang sign. ---
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-tmi-two-in-the-pink-one-in-the-stink-is-this-gesture-well-known-or-obscure/286720/12 "2005-01-26T14:16:16Z")
I’ve known about it ever since I followed a link to [College Humor](http://www.collegehumor.com) from [FarK.com](http://FarK.com) a few years ago. **WARNING: Link may contain somewhat NSFW ads.** ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-tmi-two-in-the-pink-one-in-the-stink-is-this-gesture-well-known-or-obscure/286720/13 "2005-01-26T14:18:16Z")
Never heard of it before. My guess is that you’re going to get a fair amount of people from certain areas who are going to say, “Oh, everybody knows that,” and the rest of the thread will have never heard of it. So my vote would be well-known and obscure at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-tmi-two-in-the-pink-one-in-the-stink-is-this-gesture-well-known-or-obscure/286720/14 "2005-01-26T14:20:34Z")
Never heard of it until just now. ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-tmi-two-in-the-pink-one-in-the-stink-is-this-gesture-well-known-or-obscure/286720/15 "2005-01-26T14:21:45Z")
The phrase rings a bell, but I didn’t recognise the gesture. ---
**Author:** ![TheBoneyKingofNowhere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@TheBoneyKingofNowhere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheBoneyKingofNowhere)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-tmi-two-in-the-pink-one-in-the-stink-is-this-gesture-well-known-or-obscure/286720/16 "2005-01-26T14:31:44Z")
Unfortunately, yes. The one who says it is also fond of, “two in the blood, one in the mud”… :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-tmi-two-in-the-pink-one-in-the-stink-is-this-gesture-well-known-or-obscure/286720/17 "2005-01-26T14:34:51Z")
Heard of it. Commonly called “The shocker”. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-tmi-two-in-the-pink-one-in-the-stink-is-this-gesture-well-known-or-obscure/286720/18 "2005-01-26T14:49:33Z")
A rather too crude a phrase for such a pleasent activity as far as I’m concerned. But I think I’ve heard of it. At least I knew what it meant when I read it. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-tmi-two-in-the-pink-one-in-the-stink-is-this-gesture-well-known-or-obscure/286720/19 "2005-01-26T14:54:37Z")
Well-known in my area as the “shocker” with the phrase mentioned in the OP as the explanation therefor. I played high-school football and it was our “signature” sign. I’m reasonably certain that our coaches and administration were unfamiliar with it, as I attended a very highbrow boarding school. I think the name “shocker” comes because she (at least, when “she” is in high school, but my own personal opinion is that you’ve gotta ask well in advance of trying any such move) isn’t expecting the pinky, and is therefore “shocked” by it. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-tmi-two-in-the-pink-one-in-the-stink-is-this-gesture-well-known-or-obscure/286720/20 "2005-01-26T14:59:11Z")
I’d also like to say that I think it’s brilliant that the girls are throwing up the sign as well. Liberation. It’s a good thing. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/very-tmi-two-in-the-pink-one-in-the-stink-is-this-gesture-well-known-or-obscure/286720.md?page=2)