# Whats the proper name for **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 1, 2003, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-name-for/198955 "2003-09-01T12:08:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CorBlimeyGuvnor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@CorBlimeyGuvnor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CorBlimeyGuvnor)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2003, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-name-for/198955/1 "2003-09-01T12:08:51Z")
the black gunk you get on the inside of your mouse around the rollers?, and is it edible. Thanks ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2003, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-name-for/198955/2 "2003-09-01T12:10:37Z")
Mouse smegma. ---
**Author:** ![lauramarlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a5b964/32.png) [@lauramarlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lauramarlane)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2003, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-name-for/198955/3 "2003-09-01T12:14:52Z")
track ball boogers. Edible?! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2003, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-name-for/198955/4 "2003-09-01T13:34:16Z")
ball jam ---
**Author:** ![green\_bladder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@green\_bladder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_bladder)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2003, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-name-for/198955/5 "2003-09-01T13:37:29Z")
Uh, dust? ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2003, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-name-for/198955/6 "2003-09-01T14:19:47Z")
It’s called “time to get an optical mouse” ---
**Author:** ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2003, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-name-for/198955/7 "2003-09-01T20:57:56Z")
I don’t know, but I think it’s the same stuff that’s left over when a 1920’s Style Death Ray is recycled. ---
**Author:** ![Horseflesh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horseflesh/32/7502_2.png) [@Horseflesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horseflesh)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2003, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-name-for/198955/8 "2003-09-01T21:21:33Z")
Crud. Sure it’s edible, maybe even nutritional. Please post here with results. Ditto on the “optical mouse time”. ---
**Author:** ![bee\_with\_an\_itch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/13edae/32.png) [@bee\_with\_an\_itch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bee_with_an_itch)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-name-for/198955/9 "2003-09-02T00:16:34Z")
yummy ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-name-for/198955/10 "2003-09-02T00:32:19Z")
“dirt that accumulates in a mouse”.probably edible if yu don’t have a problem with licking your computer desk… ---
**Author:** ![CorBlimeyGuvnor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@CorBlimeyGuvnor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CorBlimeyGuvnor)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-name-for/198955/11 "2003-09-02T07:50:37Z")
confirmed edible, great on toast! ---
**Author:** ![T.Slothrop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3e96dc/32.png) [@T.Slothrop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T.Slothrop)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-name-for/198955/12 "2003-09-02T08:22:33Z")
uck. disgusting. please sanitize with a 1920’s style death ray. ---
**Author:** ![CorBlimeyGuvnor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@CorBlimeyGuvnor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CorBlimeyGuvnor)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-name-for/198955/13 "2003-09-02T08:24:01Z")
Thats a rather strange fixation you have with death rays??!! Are you from another planet? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-name-for/198955/14 "2003-09-02T09:33:17Z")
I’ll give you “Dead skin sells and skin oil” - mixed with dirt. That’s smegma in my book. Or sebum maybe. I had to clean a mouse the other day, that had been in use by a (presumably) very greasy and dirty employee for about four years with no cleaning. It was disgusting. I got a huge pile of smeg out of it, and put all movable parts in a soap-water solution, but to no avail. The mouse wheel was so greasy that it didn’t work. In the end, I had to throw it away. ---
**Author:** ![BraheSilver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@BraheSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BraheSilver)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-name-for/198955/15 "2003-09-02T09:42:21Z")
I clean the crevices in my Nintendo controllers with the end of a nail file, and you’d be surprised how much crud gets packed in there. Probably enough to make a new pair of thumbs, anyway. On the N64 controller I could actually open it up and clean out the insides, but the GC has some funky three-bladed screws so I have to make do with the file. I reckon it’s the same junk in your mouse, but I bet the “mouse gunk” has a higher dust ratio from the travelling around it does. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-name-for/198955/16 "2003-09-02T10:00:11Z")
Ever sniffed a watch strap? ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-name-for/198955/17 "2003-09-02T10:05:08Z")
I wouldn’t eat any black goo from mouse balls. ---
**Author:** ![CorBlimeyGuvnor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@CorBlimeyGuvnor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CorBlimeyGuvnor)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2003, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-proper-name-for/198955/18 "2003-09-02T10:17:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jjimm \* > \*\*Ever sniffed a watch strap? \*\* Kinky!