Taming the Sneeze: A Chance in a Million

  • Thread starter Thread starter wolram
  • Start date Start date
AI Thread Summary
Sneezing can trigger unexpected and humorous situations, particularly when individuals are holding objects, such as food or drinks. Common sneeze triggers include tomato juice and chocolate, often leading to messy outcomes. Anecdotes shared include sneezing while eating, resulting in food being expelled through the nose, and the challenges of sneezing during mundane tasks like brushing teeth. The conversation also touches on historical beliefs about sneezing, such as Pliny the Elder's claim that it involved ejecting brain matter. Overall, the thread highlights the unpredictability and comedic nature of sneezing in everyday life.
wolram
Gold Member
Dearly Missed
Messages
4,410
Reaction score
555
It starts with a tickle up the nose, then ever greater inhalations of air, your body is in spasm, you try to control it but are unable to, then comes the final cataclysmic inhalation
and the explosive exhalation, of course all this happens when you have both hands full, in my case i had a poached egg in a slotted spoon in one hand and a plate with a round of toast on it in the other, a chance in million , still holding it i hear the plate crash against the cooker, the egg is no longer in the slotted spoon but on the toast and the plate is not broken.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
wolram said:
It starts with a tickle up the nose, then ever greater inhalations of air, your body is in spasm, you try to control it but are unable to, then comes the final cataclysmic inhalation
and the explosive exhalation, of course all this happens when you have both hands full, in my case i had a poached egg in a slotted spoon in one hand and a plate with a round of toast on it in the other, a chance in million , still holding it i hear the plate crash against the cooker, the egg is no longer in the slotted spoon but on the toast and the plate is not broken.
Gesundheit. Don't sneeze with your mouth closed.
 
At the first indication I have to put down anything spillable that I might be holding. The first sip from a glass of tomato juice or vegetable juice usually brings on a sneeze. After that, I'm ok with the juice. But, it seems like there's a second or two before the sneeze comes on when I can put things down and brace myself. Of course, I'm conditioned to that by now. But, there are other times, under other circumstances, when it seems like there's no warning at all. Maybe it's because I'm just distracted by other things during those times.

Oh yeah, chocolate has the same effect as tomato juice. :)
 
My brother once had a sudden sneeze while brushing his teeth. Toothpaste foam all over the mirror...what a mess!
 
I sneezed the other day
 
What a coincidence neu I didnt sneeze the other day.I wonder if the day that you sneezed was the same day that I didnt sneeze.
 
Dadface said:
What a coincidence neu I didnt sneeze the other day.I wonder if the day that you sneezed was the same day that I didnt sneeze.

Is there a zero-sum sneeze count?
 
If you google sneezing there is a hilarous U tube clip of a sneezing Panda
 
I sneezed once while swallowing a cheese sandwich, I was blowing cheese out of my nose all day. :frown: And yes, it hurt.
 
  • #10
There so cute...until they rip your head off and eat you.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #11
Evo said:
I sneezed once while swallowing a cheese sandwich, I was blowing cheese out of my nose all day. :frown: And yes, it hurt.
My freshman college roommate told his fellow night-shift supermarket workers that he could drink a whole bottle of Tabasco sauce. On his last night, when he was on his way to uni, they challenged him and put down $10 apiece (this was in 1969, remember) to see if he could do it.

He did it, but as he has so colorfully recounted, the puking of the Tabasco, and the unfortunate re-routing of the puke through the nose were high points of that day, and not in a good way.
 
  • #12
Pliny the Elder insisted that when you sneezed, you were ejecting brain matter.
 
  • #13
Or your soul. Has anyone here sneezed during a voice-activated telephone menu?
 
  • #14
Loren Booda said:
Or your soul. Has anyone here sneezed during a voice-activated telephone menu?
Not yet. Usually when I've got a tickly nose and the light suddenly brightens. That's a trigger for the BIG ONE.
 
  • #15
What would happen if you were floating in space and you sneezed and farted at the same time?If you blew exit holes in your space suit would it put you in a spin?
 
  • #16
Gokul43201 said:
Pliny the Elder insisted that when you sneezed, you were ejecting brain matter.

Pliny was such an idiot.
 
  • #17
lisab said:
Pliny was such an idiot.
He was actually quite intelligent as a young boy. But he had terrible allergies...
 
Last edited:
  • #18
I am going to start collecting the ejected brain matter and push it back again.
 

Similar threads

Back
Top