# Winter is over. It's getting too hot for you to spit your gum onto the sidewalk! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 8, 2004, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-is-over-its-getting-too-hot-for-you-to-spit-your-gum-onto-the-sidewalk/244167 "2004-05-08T11:42:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-is-over-its-getting-too-hot-for-you-to-spit-your-gum-onto-the-sidewalk/244167/1 "2004-05-08T11:42:59Z")
O.K. So, you’ve been spiiting your gum out all winter. Now this is not very nice. I am quite a conscientious gumm chewer. Whenever I unwrap a stick and put it in my mouth I hold onto the wrapper. When I have finished chewing I discreetly tongue the gum back into the wrapper, fold the wrapper up, and deposit it into a trashcan. Those of you who do not observe tha same protocol have been sptting your gum out all winter and, as I stated above, this is not very nice. However the consequences have not been severe. In the winter you spit out your gum and it hardens into a little gum “stone” and offends only in that it is unsightly and germ ridden. But, folks, we’re getting into summer now. Now your spat gum will no longer “stonify” (I made up the wors “stonify” just now). In the hot, hot, summer sun your gum melts, softens, and prepares to cling onto the shoe of an innocent unwary passerby. The consequences have intensified and so should the punishment! I can no longer blow this off- in fact I can not scrape it off, I can not walk it off, I need to stop and find a pointy stick or something to dig it out. At least spit into the grass or a bush or something. Spitting onto the sidewalk or street is just inconsiderate. Boo! (Not to Aussie, Kiwi, and assorted S. Hemisphere Dopers: It all goes the other way for you, it is now just approaching your acceptible spitting season.) ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-is-over-its-getting-too-hot-for-you-to-spit-your-gum-onto-the-sidewalk/244167/2 "2004-05-08T11:45:15Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > (I made up the wors “stonify” just now) Apparently I made up the word “wors” too. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![gum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bbe5ce/32.png) [@gum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gum)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-is-over-its-getting-too-hot-for-you-to-spit-your-gum-onto-the-sidewalk/244167/3 "2004-05-08T11:48:16Z")
_What’s with the pitting of gum, lately? Don’t forget the gums in our mouths. They can be pretty nasty too._ 😃 I agree with you, btw. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-is-over-its-getting-too-hot-for-you-to-spit-your-gum-onto-the-sidewalk/244167/4 "2004-05-08T11:55:44Z")
**gum** , keep off the sidewalk, you damned nuisance! ---
**Author:** ![gum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bbe5ce/32.png) [@gum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gum)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-is-over-its-getting-too-hot-for-you-to-spit-your-gum-onto-the-sidewalk/244167/5 "2004-05-08T11:56:46Z")
hehehehe 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Hamadryad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6de8d8/32.png) [@Hamadryad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamadryad)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-is-over-its-getting-too-hot-for-you-to-spit-your-gum-onto-the-sidewalk/244167/6 "2004-05-08T14:31:48Z")
Folks shouldn’t be spitting their gum on the sidewalk ANYHOW. And throw your goddamned cigarette butts in the trash while you’re at it. Y’all give polite smokers and gum-chewers a bad name! Well, _worse_ name. ---
**Author:** ![flamingbananas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f4b2a3/32.png) [@flamingbananas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flamingbananas)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-is-over-its-getting-too-hot-for-you-to-spit-your-gum-onto-the-sidewalk/244167/7 "2004-05-08T20:35:28Z")
I agree with the OP. Getting gum on your shoes is terrible, and gum comes with a wrapper, so keep the wrapper, and put it the gum in it when you are done! Don’t just hack it up on the sidewalk. People do that here as well, but they also do it in SCHOOL. With CARPET. WTF people? Who would be THAT inconsiderate to spit gum on carpet in school, when there are trashcans in EVERY ROOM. ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2004, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-is-over-its-getting-too-hot-for-you-to-spit-your-gum-onto-the-sidewalk/244167/8 "2004-05-09T12:42:55Z")
If there is not a handy bin just swallow it you wussies! It won’t kill you! As for the smoking thing I agree. Smokers hardly need a worse image. I often come home with 3 opr 4 butts in my jeans pocket cause there was not an available bin. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2004, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/winter-is-over-its-getting-too-hot-for-you-to-spit-your-gum-onto-the-sidewalk/244167/9 "2004-05-09T18:57:21Z")
> [@bienville](#): > > I am quite a conscientious gumm chewer. So was Mickey Rooney. Heh.