Looking at the sun always causes one to sneeze. I'd like a physiological explanation of this, please. Julie Krueger still waiting after 40 years for someone to explain why running hard causes a pain in the side. ========Original Message======== Subj: [lit-ideas] Re: "Bless You" (Was: Sneeze) Date: 7/30/2004 12:48:06 AM Central Daylight Time From: _atlas@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx (mailto:atlas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx) To: _lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx (mailto:lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx) Sent on: Dear Straight Dope Dude: Why do we say "nothing to sneeze at?" Does that mean that you don't have anything to aim your sneeze at, or does it mean that you're having a hard time sneezing because there's nothing around to irritate your nasal passages? Hence you have "nothing to sneeze at." I've been told that the original expession was: "not to be sneezed at". Is that a prohibition, like in: "the Queen Mum is not to be sneezed at." Says who? That seems rather politically presumptive to me, but what do I know? Not the answer, that's for sure. And as you well know, the School for Scandal crowd would stuff snuff up their noses just to cause a sneeze. Weird, huh? Except that sneezing is kind of like a miniature-type orgasm, don't you think? Boy, oh boy, were the real thing is so easy, hey? So maybe "nothing to sneeze at" is a euphemistic phrase meaning something that I can't write down because it would be breach of propriety, suffice it to say, it's something that's nothing to sneeze at. For my part, I don't need snuff to sneeze. Everytime I come out of a dark place like a movie house into the sunlight I have a sneezing fit. I can also almost always just look up at the sun and sneeze. Good, hearty sneezes, too. Pizza is good. Sex is good. Sneezing is good. What's with that? A coincidence or a synchonicity? Please answer my questions right away. I get bored waiting. Your devoted fan, Mike Geary Memphis > > Why do we say "God bless you" after a sneeze? > 27-Sep-2001 ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html