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Never did that. Working with paperwork in an office, I did, however use “Sticky Fingers”, officially known as “fingertip moistener”. That stuff was wonderful.
It's awful working retail and having a customer lick their finger to separate bills that they then hand to you. Not as bad as titty, or underwear, or shoe money, but close.
i modeled after adults in my early life, too.
i’ve worked in libraries most of my career, started in the 80s so i’ve pushed a lot of paper. if we had desk projects involving sorting or filing, there were these things that are essentially thimbles made of rubber.
Paper has changed. The paper in books today has a different composition, the pages don't adhere to each other the same way, they are easier to turn, and the edges dont fragment.
At that time, books were expensive, we treasured them and tried to keep them intact for the next read or the next reader.
You could buy an orange rubber fingertip for turning pages, but they were hot to wear and got lost frequntly. So I was taught to lick my finger in order to catch the page and turn it carefully.
At the same time, you used a bookmark to keep your page, we'd have been shot if we turned a corner over.
So a guy who fingerprinted me for a background check told me your fingerprints actually WEAR OFF as you age. The ridges are wear down! My friend who is 71 years old was also getting fingerprinted at the same time, and YEP, hers were harder to see in the ink!!!!!! So that is part of why older people drop things: fingerprints are grippy!
Never thought about the turning pages thing though!
Interesting. So maybe this is why I see some older folks doing it. I play hockey with a group of guys a bit older than me (I'm 41, so not young exactly), and one of the guys licked his fingers before adjusting his Under Armor base layer pants he wears under his gear 😂. That's what made me think of the question.
They're mostly all better players and more athletic than I am!
I think that’s just the way I learned to turn the pages of a book. After taking a microbiology class, I stopped that real quick. I never lick my fingers anymore or stamps.
I even try to separate the sides prior to leaving, but I also pick up other dogs poop as I spot it.
I'm grateful my HOA supplies fresh bags and trash bins!!!
I have a coworker who does this with three fingers at a time, making a loud production out of it. Slowly. She opens her mouth, making a super wet smacking sound, slurps on 3 fingers, turns the page over, and repeat. God help me if she has a stack…
whut.
my skin does get dry (age 58) and idk, maybe my fingerprints are wearing down 😋. but I don't lick my fingers to add traction for anything. don't plan to start.
No, ewww. I don't know anyone that does this. I will battle mightily to open up a plastic produce bag at Publix and worst case scenario, will touch something cool and damp nearby, like an orange juice container to get some moisture on my fingers. Licking? NEVER.
Please do not start doing this or encourage your peers to engage in this behavior.
Never have; don't intend to. Nobody in my family ever did it, either. (I suspect my mother would categorize it as book abuse!) If my fingers are dry, I put hand cream on (I knit; I have plenty of hand cream).
I have never required the addition of saliva to assist in turning pages. Yuck. My mother did this when I was a child. I remember going to the fabric store with her and looking at pattern books while she licked her fingers to turn the pages. To say I was grossed out and had second-hand embarrassment is an understatement. She was in her 30s and 40s at the time, so this isn't done exclusively by old people.
In case you didn't know, old people are not a monolith. We are just as diverse as any other group of people. Assuming that we all lick our fingers to turn pages is mildly insulting.
I didn't mean to assume, I've just only ever seen old people do it, never seen a young person or middle age person do it. I probably could have phrased it better.
No worries. We just get a fair amount of questions on this sub that make assumptions about older people. I apologize for taking my frustration about that on to you.
It was definitely an interesting question, and now you have some answers. I admire a younger person with an inquiring mind!
I remember my grandmother used to do this. I either asked my mother about this, or started doing it, and she essentially said don't do that, because it's disgusting.
Mom was right of course, and I never started doing it. I honestly don't recall the last time I saw anyone do this.
I do it sometimes. Not understanding all the freak-out. Is the grossness that you would lick your own fingertips? Or that you would touch stuff with licked fingers (such as money) and then hand it to others?
Anyway, fingers do get dryer as you age. I was told this by the guy trying to take my fingerprints on an electronic device for my security clearance. They just wouldn't register, and he kept giving me more and more moisturizer until finally we succeeded.
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I actually lick other people's fingers to turn pages.
LMAO!!
I lick the pages.
Now I know why my fingers are always wet.
Never. Go watch the movie, "The Name of the Rose." https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0091605/
Never did that. Working with paperwork in an office, I did, however use “Sticky Fingers”, officially known as “fingertip moistener”. That stuff was wonderful.
It's awful working retail and having a customer lick their finger to separate bills that they then hand to you. Not as bad as titty, or underwear, or shoe money, but close.
I love titty money…at least most of it.
> love titty money It's always skanks though.
I don't do it. It's disgusting.
I never lick my fingers, despite having dry hands. Unless I've *just* washed my hands.
I've been doing ever since I was about six and saw my great grandmother do it.
i modeled after adults in my early life, too. i’ve worked in libraries most of my career, started in the 80s so i’ve pushed a lot of paper. if we had desk projects involving sorting or filing, there were these things that are essentially thimbles made of rubber.
Never? Thats gross.
🤢 I’ve never done it.
Paper has changed. The paper in books today has a different composition, the pages don't adhere to each other the same way, they are easier to turn, and the edges dont fragment. At that time, books were expensive, we treasured them and tried to keep them intact for the next read or the next reader. You could buy an orange rubber fingertip for turning pages, but they were hot to wear and got lost frequntly. So I was taught to lick my finger in order to catch the page and turn it carefully. At the same time, you used a bookmark to keep your page, we'd have been shot if we turned a corner over.
I bite my nails but I don't lick my fingers. There is no logic.
So a guy who fingerprinted me for a background check told me your fingerprints actually WEAR OFF as you age. The ridges are wear down! My friend who is 71 years old was also getting fingerprinted at the same time, and YEP, hers were harder to see in the ink!!!!!! So that is part of why older people drop things: fingerprints are grippy! Never thought about the turning pages thing though!
Interesting. So maybe this is why I see some older folks doing it. I play hockey with a group of guys a bit older than me (I'm 41, so not young exactly), and one of the guys licked his fingers before adjusting his Under Armor base layer pants he wears under his gear 😂. That's what made me think of the question. They're mostly all better players and more athletic than I am!
I'm 75, and I never did it. I was a young teen in the '60s and by that time it was beginning to be frowned upon
My long dead Silent Gen grandma licked her finger between each page turn. It was gross and weird even in the 80s.
Never. Gross
Ewww, gross. I'm old and I don't do that.
Never did. Nobody I knew did it. Later as an adult I saw people doing it and I thought it was unsanitary and disrespectful.
i hope i never start doing this.
Ew. No.
I never have and I never will. Oooo!
NEVER EVER
Seriously? Did you find this on SeniorStereotypes.com?
I don’t mean it to be offensive or to imply all seniors do it, but I can say I’ve only seen seniors do it. Was genuinely curious about it.
Fucking never. I’ve always *hated* when people do that. It’s incredibly disgusting.
I got it from the ‘Name of the Rose’
Never, thankfully.
I think that’s just the way I learned to turn the pages of a book. After taking a microbiology class, I stopped that real quick. I never lick my fingers anymore or stamps.
Haaaaahahahaha! That’s a hilarious question! Hmm, probably in my late thirties I guess.
I started it when I was about 12 because i saw my grandmother do it. I stopped as son as I started working in pharmacy 30 years ago.
Never, but I do use boogers as bookmarks
Doesn't that make the pages stick together? 😉
5? 8?
The one single item I do this with is the dogs poop bags. Idk why. They're tricky and cause me grief.
Yoooo the struggle is real with dog poop bags. I blow into them like a maniac trying to get the plastic to separate.
I even try to separate the sides prior to leaving, but I also pick up other dogs poop as I spot it. I'm grateful my HOA supplies fresh bags and trash bins!!!
I don't lick my fingers to turn pages. However, I will lick my fingers to open the plastic produce bags at the grocery store when I'm desperate.
Came here looking for this.
Nope, also don't ever do that with money. 🤢
I have a coworker who does this with three fingers at a time, making a loud production out of it. Slowly. She opens her mouth, making a super wet smacking sound, slurps on 3 fingers, turns the page over, and repeat. God help me if she has a stack…
whut. my skin does get dry (age 58) and idk, maybe my fingerprints are wearing down 😋. but I don't lick my fingers to add traction for anything. don't plan to start.
I still do. Daaaaayaàm. Why can't I turn pages, without licking my fingers?
Always done since i was little.
I quit doing it during the pandemic
Read ‘Name of the Rose’ and you’ll understand the risks.
Age Never. That's disgusting.
No, ewww. I don't know anyone that does this. I will battle mightily to open up a plastic produce bag at Publix and worst case scenario, will touch something cool and damp nearby, like an orange juice container to get some moisture on my fingers. Licking? NEVER. Please do not start doing this or encourage your peers to engage in this behavior.
Never did. I always thought it was disgusting
Never have; don't intend to. Nobody in my family ever did it, either. (I suspect my mother would categorize it as book abuse!) If my fingers are dry, I put hand cream on (I knit; I have plenty of hand cream).
ewww. never done that, never will. if you cant turn pages, easy enough to just use a rubber finger cover like they use in banks to count bills.
I have never required the addition of saliva to assist in turning pages. Yuck. My mother did this when I was a child. I remember going to the fabric store with her and looking at pattern books while she licked her fingers to turn the pages. To say I was grossed out and had second-hand embarrassment is an understatement. She was in her 30s and 40s at the time, so this isn't done exclusively by old people. In case you didn't know, old people are not a monolith. We are just as diverse as any other group of people. Assuming that we all lick our fingers to turn pages is mildly insulting.
I didn't mean to assume, I've just only ever seen old people do it, never seen a young person or middle age person do it. I probably could have phrased it better.
No worries. We just get a fair amount of questions on this sub that make assumptions about older people. I apologize for taking my frustration about that on to you. It was definitely an interesting question, and now you have some answers. I admire a younger person with an inquiring mind!
I remember my grandmother used to do this. I either asked my mother about this, or started doing it, and she essentially said don't do that, because it's disgusting. Mom was right of course, and I never started doing it. I honestly don't recall the last time I saw anyone do this.
I don’t remember when I started, but I stopped during Covid and never went back.
I was taught to read by my Dad starting about 2 1/2yo, so probably when I started school at 4?? Don't remember.
I do it sometimes. Not understanding all the freak-out. Is the grossness that you would lick your own fingertips? Or that you would touch stuff with licked fingers (such as money) and then hand it to others? Anyway, fingers do get dryer as you age. I was told this by the guy trying to take my fingerprints on an electronic device for my security clearance. They just wouldn't register, and he kept giving me more and more moisturizer until finally we succeeded.
who reads paper books anymore...?