Armpit fart
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An armpit fart, made by trapping and releasing air between the hand and armpit, is a simulated fart. Armpit farts occur in the context of play, humor, comedy, and music. As a form of body percussion, the maneuver has also been used in music and musical games, where it may be called called armpit squeezing or playing the armpit.
Background
An armpit fart is a simulation of the sound of flatulence made by creating a pocket of air between the armpit of a partially raised arm and the hand, then swiftly closing the pocket by bringing the arm close to the torso, causing the air to push against the skin, creating the noise.
In music, the same maneuver has been called playing the armpit or, without mention of the hand, armpit squeezing. It is a form of body music or body percussion.
Contexts
Play
Flatulence is socially stigmatized, causing many people to hide or deny it and even endure discomfort to avoid embarrassment. But youths may imitate it by making an armpit fart or blowing a raspberry. As a form of humor and play in youth culture, such behavior serves to test social taboos, explore bodily boundaries, or negotiate belonging within peer groups. Youths generally learn that these behaviors become less socially acceptable with age, in later stages of child development.
Comedy
As a form of humor, armpit farts can be considered juvenile or crude. Comedian George Carlin in LP record albums of his performances spoke of "the artificial fart under the arm".
Music and games
| External videos | |
|---|---|
 Music using the armpit, YouTube |
Armpit farting or the musical maneuver of playing the armpit, as in armpit music, can feature the armpit prominently or be used to accompany singing, dancing, or other music. It has also been described in musical games. The maneuver has been in widespread use, from Russia to France, and has been used by young Ethiopian men to accompany dances. Composer Igor Stravinsky recalled learning it as a child from a mute peasant who used it to accompany musical vocalizations.
See also
References
Notes
- ↑ By contrast, there are apparatuses, including aerophones, that can produce a similar sound, from musical instruments (e.g., bassoons, kazoos) to practical joke devices.
Citations
- 1 2 Hallam, Oli (2018-03-21). "Schools aren't doing enough to expose pupils to employers | Opinion | Education in Chemistry". Eic.rsc.org. Retrieved 2019-02-22.
- 1 2 Terry 2013, 5 minutes, 31 seconds.
- 1 2 Congress 2026, MP-1.
- ↑ Congress 2026, MP-1, MP-4; Terry 2013, 5 minutes, 31 seconds.
- ↑ Reynolds 2011.
- ↑ Raudaskoski 1997.
- ↑ Woo 2015.
- ↑ Blank 2010, 62.
- ↑ Blank 2010, 65.
- ↑ The Guardian "The Fleabag and Killing Eve creator on sex, fearlessness and what makes her rage"
- 1 2 "Jennifer Lawrence's Hunger Games Armpit Farts Are Beautiful". Esquire.com. 2015-07-10. Retrieved 2019-02-22.
- ↑ Schaeffner 2020, 19n184, citing Marcel Griaule's Jeux et divertissements abyssins (Paris: Leroux, 1935) 19.
- ↑ Schaeffner 2020, 19n184, citing Igor Stravinsky's Chronicle of My Life (London: Victor Gollancz, 1936 [1935]) 12.
Bibliography
- Blank, Trevor J. (2010). "Cheeky Behavior: The Meaning and Function of 'Fartlore' in Childhood and Adolescence". Children's Folklore Review. 32: 61–85. ISSN 0739-5558. Archived from the original on May 9, 2026.
- Congress, Library of (2026) [2014]. Library of Congress Medium of Performance Thesaurus for Music (LCMPT) (PDF) (2026 ed.). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 18, 2026. Retrieved November 3, 2026.
- Raudaskoski, Heikki (1997). "'The Feathery Rilke Mustaches and Porky Pig Tattoo on Stomach': High and Low Pressures in Gravity's Rainbow". Postmodern Culture. 7 (2). doi:10.1353/pmc.1997.0007.
- Reynolds, Eileen (2011). "The Farting Bedpost: A Cultural History of the Bassoon". The Believer. Archived from the original on May 15, 2025. Retrieved November 3, 2026.
- Schaeffner, André (2020) [1936]. Taylor, Rachelle; Lih, Ariadne; Lih, Emelyn (eds.). The Origin of Musical Instruments: An Ethnological Introduction to the History of Instrumental Music. Classic European Studies in the Science of Music. Translated by Taylor, Rachelle; Lih, Ariadne; Lih, Emelyn. Oxon; New York: Routledge. doi:10.4324/9781315554921. ISBN 978-1-315-55492-1. OCLC 1140791546.
- Terry, Keith (November 18, 2013). "Keith Terry Makes Music With His Own Two Hands (And Feet, And Cheeks, And Chest ...)". Here and Now (Radio broadcast). Interviewed by Robin Young. Boston, Massachusetts: National Public Radio (NPR) and WBUR-FM. 9 minutes, 39 seconds. Archived from the original (Transcript with recording, including an excerpt of Ethiopian armpit music) on January 24, 2025. Retrieved November 3, 2026 – via NPR.
- Woo, Michelle (2015). "Jack Vale's Wholesome YouTube Pranks Have Made Him a Star". OC Weekly. Archived from the original on December 15, 2025.