# What would you do if I licked my fingers before turning the pages of your books? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 22, 2005, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-i-licked-my-fingers-before-turning-the-pages-of-your-books/313584 "2005-07-22T03:11:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-i-licked-my-fingers-before-turning-the-pages-of-your-books/313584/1 "2005-07-22T03:11:15Z")
I’m asking this because I don’t know anything else in this world that brings out the most vast difference in extreme reactions in people. Heh. I mean, some I know don’t care about it. They’ll just shrug it off and, hell, even do it themselves…while others I’ve seen REALLY really get mad and pissed off at this, almost to the point where they want to take the book and hit the person in question over the top of the head for doing it. Me, I reside somewhere in the middle. It does gross me out a little bit, but I won’t usually say anything. So tell me then, if I came into your house, read a book of yours and you caught me doing this (the ol’ licking my fingers before I turn a page), what would you do? Based on your reaction and what you’d do, I’m pretty sure I’d be able to tell where you stand on this. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Dignan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@Dignan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dignan)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-i-licked-my-fingers-before-turning-the-pages-of-your-books/313584/2 "2005-07-22T03:18:54Z")
I’d probably have to cut off your fingers. I really don’t see any other way to resolve the situation. Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-i-licked-my-fingers-before-turning-the-pages-of-your-books/313584/3 "2005-07-22T03:34:24Z")
I’d have to concur with **Dignan**. There’s just no other way. Or, you could keep your fingers, but you’d have to lose your head. So really it’s up to you. 😉 -foxy ---
**Author:** ![uglybeech](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/82dd89/32.png) [@uglybeech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/uglybeech)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-i-licked-my-fingers-before-turning-the-pages-of-your-books/313584/4 "2005-07-22T03:43:28Z")
I’d say, “I’d prefer it if you didn’t lick your fingers - just go ahead and spit directly in the book.” ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-i-licked-my-fingers-before-turning-the-pages-of-your-books/313584/5 "2005-07-22T03:47:05Z")
I got over that kind of thing very young when my Mom would lick tissues and use the saliva dampened tissue to wipe the occasional smudge o sumtin off my face. Sharing glasses, cans, and bottles used to skeeve me a little but I got over that too. Saliva enabled page turning isn’t even a blip on my radar. ---
**Author:** ![Nunavut\_Boy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e95f7d/32.png) [@Nunavut\_Boy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunavut_Boy)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-i-licked-my-fingers-before-turning-the-pages-of-your-books/313584/6 "2005-07-22T04:47:03Z")
I wouldn’t even notice. If I did notice, I wouldn’t give a shit. Since working in a microbiology lab and having swabbed many different surfaces/objects and seeing what kind of horrible crap turns up, I have since decided to have faith in the immune response. ---
**Author:** ![Nunavut\_Boy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e95f7d/32.png) [@Nunavut\_Boy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunavut_Boy)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-i-licked-my-fingers-before-turning-the-pages-of-your-books/313584/7 "2005-07-22T04:49:07Z")
I wouldn’t even notice. If I did notice, I wouldn’t give a shit. Since working in a microbiology lab and having swabbed many different surfaces/objects and seeing what kind of horrible crap turns up, I have since decided to have faith in the immune response. > [@George Carlin](#): > > When I was a little boy growing up in the 1930’s not one kid on my neighborhood got polio. Not one. You know why? Because we swam in raw sewage! The polio never had a prayer! We were tempered in raw shit! ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-i-licked-my-fingers-before-turning-the-pages-of-your-books/313584/8 "2005-07-22T04:50:31Z")
Count me as another who probably wouldn’t notice, and if I did, I wouldn’t care. ---
**Author:** ![sunstone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunstone/32/3372_2.png) [@sunstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunstone)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-i-licked-my-fingers-before-turning-the-pages-of-your-books/313584/9 "2005-07-22T05:07:02Z")
I would notice, and wonder about how a person could do that to my book, and be slightly icked out, and then I would just read the book. Hey, I’m easy. ---
**Author:** ![Donovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ea666f/32.png) [@Donovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donovan)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-i-licked-my-fingers-before-turning-the-pages-of-your-books/313584/10 "2005-07-22T05:55:16Z")
Wouldn’t bother me. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-i-licked-my-fingers-before-turning-the-pages-of-your-books/313584/11 "2005-07-22T06:20:01Z")
If I knew you well enough (as I should if you’re in my house spitting on my books), I’d say, “Hey, please don’t lick your fingers before you touch those pages. It grosses me out.” And if I knew you that well, you’d know me well enough to say, “Oh, sorry. Okay.” ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-i-licked-my-fingers-before-turning-the-pages-of-your-books/313584/12 "2005-07-22T07:11:49Z")
I wouldn’t care…just don’t shove yer paper-germed tongue down my throat! ---
**Author:** ![Telperien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Telperien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telperien)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-i-licked-my-fingers-before-turning-the-pages-of-your-books/313584/13 "2005-07-22T07:42:44Z")
> [@devilsknew](#): > > I got over that kind of thing very young when my Mom would lick tissues and use the saliva dampened tissue to wipe the occasional smudge o sumtin off my face. Sharing glasses, cans, and bottles used to skeeve me a little but I got over that too. But that was Mom spit, which has special cleaning properties! It wasn’t guy spit! If I don’t see you do it, I don’t care. But if I catch you, I’m going to be grossed out. ---
**Author:** ![Tamryne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3e96dc/32.png) [@Tamryne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamryne)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-i-licked-my-fingers-before-turning-the-pages-of-your-books/313584/14 "2005-07-22T07:43:07Z")
I would visibly twitch for the next five minutes and kindly ask for you to NEVER touch one of my books again. Im the kind of person who can do anything to my books myself, but if they come back from a friend with even a little dirt on them I never let said friend borrow a book ever again. Comes from letting a friend borrow a pristine condition book and getting it back with a distinct shoe print on the cover and a few pages elmer glued back in. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-i-licked-my-fingers-before-turning-the-pages-of-your-books/313584/15 "2005-07-22T08:21:59Z")
Eeeew. Just eew. And that’s if I liked you. If I didn’t like you, I’d squirm a while and then offer you the book. In a very hostile way. "No really, you can have it. I can buy another. " ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-i-licked-my-fingers-before-turning-the-pages-of-your-books/313584/16 "2005-07-22T08:41:43Z")
The next book of mine they got their hands on would be prepared in ‘The Name of the Rose’ style… ---
**Author:** ![Sarah\_Woodruff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sarah\_Woodruff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarah_Woodruff)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-i-licked-my-fingers-before-turning-the-pages-of-your-books/313584/17 "2005-07-22T09:57:51Z")
I’d give you the bloody book to keep. But I share a household with one very slobbery spaniel, so I am used to a certain amount of drool in my home environment. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-i-licked-my-fingers-before-turning-the-pages-of-your-books/313584/18 "2005-07-22T10:15:53Z")
I would be confused. I never understood the licking fingers thing to begin with…how hard is it to turn pages? And I would think it was a bit rude, to do to someone else’s book. I don’t care about germs but I’d think it was a bit inconsiderate. > [@One And Only Wanderers](#): > > The next book of mine they got their hands on would be prepared in ‘The Name of the Rose’ style… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![gouda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c77e96/32.png) [@gouda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gouda)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-i-licked-my-fingers-before-turning-the-pages-of-your-books/313584/19 "2005-07-22T10:27:21Z")
I guess it depends on what book it is… for the most, it wouldn’t bother me… it’s only paper! If it were something I value greatly, then you’d know about it before your spit-laden finger hit the paper 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-i-licked-my-fingers-before-turning-the-pages-of-your-books/313584/20 "2005-07-22T13:11:57Z")
Doesn’t bother me. Not only that, I actually tongue-kiss the women I date, whenever I can. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-you-do-if-i-licked-my-fingers-before-turning-the-pages-of-your-books/313584.md?page=2)