I’ve been thinking about winking recently. It’s not something I think about very often, but it occurred to me that winking is a learned behavior that I have yet to take advantage of. I have the same problem with honking. If someone cuts me off, I swerve and/or brake to avoid them, but then a few minutes down the road think to myself, “Blast! I should have honked.” The same is true with winking (except for the swerving and braking part).
I have a dry sense of humor, and will often make jokes without cracking a smile. Sometimes people don’t get the joke, so I have to explain it and I’ll think, “I should have winked while I said the joke, thus tipping the person off that I was being humorous.” However, winking at the time I think to wink would be more likely to alarm the person rather than alert them of humor.
This thought process has led me to wonder where winking came from originally, but a few cursory Google searches didn’t turn anything up.
Maybe a funny person had an eye twitch and it just caught on from there.
I always forget about honking until it’s too late also. But I am really guilty of winking, maybe too much so.
» Comment by Jan on June 9, 2004 @ 10:08 amI’m not much of a honker or a winker, but I do arch an eyebrow a lot, or sometimes waggle my eyebrows.
Dan, I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say “Blast!” out loud. Do you really think it, or do you just write it?
» Comment by Levi on June 9, 2004 @ 12:58 pmIt’s not a common occurrence, but once in a while I will say it. In this case it was more for the literary effect.
» Comment by dan on June 9, 2004 @ 1:45 pmI think you’ve revealed some of why you don’t like emoticons.
» Comment by Renee on June 9, 2004 @ 2:54 pmI love winking, but rarely do it because the idea hits me once the moment has passed.
» Comment by Mel on June 9, 2004 @ 3:07 pmUh oh, not that again. I’ve since reduced my fervor against them, and was mainly exploring the reasons they are so prevalent now as opposed to 20 years ago. In other words, if people were able to do without them for hundreds of years, why now?
I don’t mind if people use them. Live and let live.
» Comment by dan on June 9, 2004 @ 3:08 pmThe Winking Episode
» Trackback by Jan's Liahona on June 9, 2004 @ 6:32 amJan wrote about how her winking habit embarrassed her at church one Sunday. The Editors of this site think that she should wink more, especially at single men. Jan’s Biological Clock agrees whole-heartedly.
This is so funny. I actually have to write a 5 page paper on winking tonight, and so far your thought is the only thing I can come up with. The good thing is, I am going to use your quotes in my paper. Congratulations, you are part of an epic Sociology paper!!
» Comment by Lisa on February 16, 2005 @ 7:55 pmI’ve just been told by a work colleague that I am a ‘winker’. I have to say when told this I felt rather embarrassed and almost like I am some kind of freak.
» Comment by Laura on March 2, 2005 @ 9:36 pmThinking back however, to times when I have committed this offence, I reaslise that she actually likes it…
She secretly wishes she could wink!
It’s true……I’ve even practised in the car on the way home from work and I just don’t cut the mustard! WHY WASN’T I BORN A WINKER!!!!!!
» Comment by Fleur on March 2, 2005 @ 9:39 pm