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As a kid in Brooklyn I remember people sucking their teeth quite often. As a teen on Long Island I rarely heard this gesture of dissatisfaction. I assumed it was only something kids did. Recently now as an adult I have been socializing in the city and quite frequently hearing adults sucking their teeth. I hear it on the subways, standing on line, at the movies, even in restaurants. What's the deal with New Yorkers and "sucking their teeth?" Let me know if you have a problem. Don't suck your teeth at me.
I don't think people "enjoy" doing it. Like you mentioned while impatiently waiting on something or someone, you will suck your teeth out of pure aggravation not enjoyment. I know a lot of African's suck their teeth while conversing. I have no idea what they may be talking about, but it sounds like the sucking of the teeth is the period to a sentence a lot of times. West Indians also tent to suck their teeth a lot.. But again it’s a friendly gesture just as rolling your eyes or flipping someone the bird!
I think it is an inherently ghetto thing to do. You will here it in LI and most other places, but not outside the ghetto areas. In my experience it has not been a friendly gesture, it has been because you are asking them to do something they don't want to do or some variation of them being inconvenienced in some way.
For example, some people might say "Ugh I have to do XYZ"..or "Damn this person ahead of me in line just asked another question"...the hood people simply suck their teeth.
I don't think people "enjoy" doing it. Like you mentioned while impatiently waiting on something or someone, you will suck your teeth out of pure aggravation not enjoyment. I know a lot of African's suck their teeth while conversing. I have no idea what they may be talking about, but it sounds like the sucking of the teeth is the period to a sentence a lot of times. West Indians also tent to suck their teeth a lot.. But again it’s a friendly gesture just as rolling your eyes or flipping someone the bird!
Those are friendly gestures? You can't show someone flipping the bird on network TV. I've seen people get into fights over that "friendly gesture."
I think it is an inherently ghetto thing to do. You will here it in LI and most other places, but not outside the ghetto areas. In my experience it has not been a friendly gesture, it has been because you are asking them to do something they don't want to do or some variation of them being inconvenienced in some way.
For example, some people might say "Ugh I have to do XYZ"..or "Damn this person ahead of me in line just asked another question"...the hood people simply suck their teeth.
Makes sense. I usually hear it up in the Bronx and I grew up in Carroll Gardens back in the 70's when it was an Italian and Puerto Rican hood.
I've honestly never heard it described that way before, but I thought that was a pretty universal gesture of annoyance with somebody or something. It has kind of a ghetto connotation as well IMO.
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