The Raspberry
Created | Updated Mar 18, 2002
Raspberries are small red or black fruits (genus Rubus) that grow on raspberry bushes. They (the fruits, not the bushes) tend to leave lots of little seeds stuck between one's teeth when one eats them.
The word 'raspberry' can also be used to describe a bodily noise made by buzzing the tongue between the lips. The buzzing action is often accompanied by various hand gestures, such as patting the top of one's head or sticking one's thumbs in one's ears. In literature (such as the Sunday comics), raspberries are spelled in various ways, including "Thppft!" "Pbththth!" and "Thbbfpt!" -- essentially any extended string of p's, b's, t's, and h's will successfully convey the idea.
To make a raspberry, hold about an inch of your tongue between your lips. Force some air out of your mouth between the bottom of your tongue and your lip. As long as there is no space between your tongue and your lips, you should make a respectable raspberry. By varying the length of exposed tongue and the amount (and rate) of air expulsion, the character of the raspberry can be varied. Unless the raspberry is intended to display extreme disgust or insult, it is probably wise to avoid spitting more than necessary. Practice makes perfect.
It is usually not considered a compliment in Western cultures to give someone a raspberry. Therefore, it is recommended that you use discretion when thinking about aiming a raspberry at someone. The consequences of a thoughtless raspberry could conceivably lead to unemployment (when directed at an employer), broken kneecaps (when directed at someone wearing a pinky ring and an Armani suit), nuclear war (when directed at a foreign dignitary), or crop failure (when directed at God).
The word 'raspberry' can also be used to describe a bodily noise made by buzzing the tongue between the lips. The buzzing action is often accompanied by various hand gestures, such as patting the top of one's head or sticking one's thumbs in one's ears. In literature (such as the Sunday comics), raspberries are spelled in various ways, including "Thppft!" "Pbththth!" and "Thbbfpt!" -- essentially any extended string of p's, b's, t's, and h's will successfully convey the idea.
To make a raspberry, hold about an inch of your tongue between your lips. Force some air out of your mouth between the bottom of your tongue and your lip. As long as there is no space between your tongue and your lips, you should make a respectable raspberry. By varying the length of exposed tongue and the amount (and rate) of air expulsion, the character of the raspberry can be varied. Unless the raspberry is intended to display extreme disgust or insult, it is probably wise to avoid spitting more than necessary. Practice makes perfect.
It is usually not considered a compliment in Western cultures to give someone a raspberry. Therefore, it is recommended that you use discretion when thinking about aiming a raspberry at someone. The consequences of a thoughtless raspberry could conceivably lead to unemployment (when directed at an employer), broken kneecaps (when directed at someone wearing a pinky ring and an Armani suit), nuclear war (when directed at a foreign dignitary), or crop failure (when directed at God).
