"dangling a cigarette"

[Peter J. Schledorn]

On Mon, 27 May 2002, Daniel Davies wrote:

> How, anatomically, does one go about dangling a cigarette from one's
> top lip?  I've been a smoker for about sixteen years, and I don't
> think I've ever managed to dangle a cigarette from my top lip.  It
> would just fall out of your mouth, surely?  Short of sticking the
> thing there with chewing gum, I don't believe it's possible.

I've seen it done, many years ago.  I only saw it in dedicated chain
smokers of unfiltered cigarettes (what does Hitchens smoke?).  They would
apparently build up a sticky residue that would glue short ends (like the
last half-inch) to their upper lip.  I've seen people hold conversations
with a short bit of burning cigarette dangling from their lip.  A bit
distracting.

So it is a bit like sticking them there with gum ;-).

Best,
Peter

> dd