9 Unusual Cures For The Hiccups

People have been trying to cure hiccups since the beginning of time. Some of these remedies are definitely "out there," but they may just do the trick! 

People have been getting hiccups since the beginning of time. Here are some sure-fire cures passed down through the generations.

9 Unusual Cures For The Hiccups:

1. Pull Your Ring Finger

An early English remedy calls for pulling the ring finger of the hiccup-stricken person, the minute the hiccups start.

2. Who Is Talking About You?

It was once believed that hiccups are caused by someone talking about you. If you guess who it is, the hiccups will stop.

Two women whispering.
portrait of two young attractive happy girlfriends women with makeup eavesdrops whispers a secret (mystery) in the studio on a blue background. the concept of gossip and confidentiality

3. Ancient Feather Trick?

There is a story about Aristophanes who had to make an after dinner speech at the home of another Athenian playwright some 500 years before Christ. As the moment approached, the nervous playwright got the hiccups.

He turned to another guest, a well-known physician and said. “Either you have to *hiccup* make my speech or cure *hiccup* my hiccups.”

The medic told him to hold his breath and drink some water. That failing, he next told him to tickle his nose with a feather adding, “If you sneeze once or twice even the most violent hiccup is sure to go.” Whether the doctor gave the speech is not known – but both cures are still stock remedies.

4. Scared Straight

Another remedy was to terrify the person inflicted. Perhaps this one grew out of the fact that many primitive people believed that hiccups were caused by demons entering the person and that the only way to get rid of them was to scare them to death. Sometimes this method actually works.

5. Recital

In the Ozarks, the popular cure is to stand on one leg and recite, five times in the same breath, the following words:
Hick-up.
Stick-up.
Lick-up.
Hick-up.

6. Hold Your Breath

Other people simplify the prescription by merely holding their breath and counting to ten, or holding their breath and swallowing seven times, or visualizing seven bald-headed men.

3 More Surefire Remedies To Cure The Hiccups:

7. Drinking water from a glass covered with a paper towel.

8. Taking a spoonful of sugar.

9. Saying the Lord’s Prayer backwards.

Some of these cures evidently are based on the old ruse of getting the person to concentrate on something so completely and wholeheartedly different that he forgets the hiccups and they automatically disappear.

What works for you? Tell us in the comments below!

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

This article was published by the staff at Farmers' Almanac. Do you have a question or an idea for an article? Contact us!

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

12 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Hohmann Jeanne

The middle name of your bald headed uncle. Or drinking water from the opposite side of the glasses opening.

Heather

Middle name of your bald-headed uncle? That’s a new one – and it’s great!

Kathy

I have one that works about 90% of the time! At least the 1st time, anyway! Once the confusion passes, so does the success of this “cure”! LOL! But, I have indeed seen it work MANY times!

Just walk up to the person suffering from the hiccups and say, with no preamble:
“What swims in water? Say ” FISH”!.
You can repeat these instructions, but do not elaborate! The object is to completely throw them for a loop, and they pretty much forget about them and they go away! AWESOME when it works though! But rarely see it work twice! ??????

Nancy Diaferio

A spoonful of honey works every time ??

Sandi Duncan

🙂 Will try it nxet time!

Susan

Drink a few sips of water from a glass, upside down. Go to the opposite side of glass rim, bend over & guzzle a small g)ass of water. Works everytime for me

Hohmann Jeanne

Yep We use that cure too!

Carol

You ask them when was the last time you seen a man on a white horse going down the road.Makes them stop and think and forget about the hiccups.

Kathy

Mine works on the same premise:
You say “What swims in the water? Say “FISH!” NO explanation or preamble! LOL! I’ve seen it work MANY times, the 1st time, anyway! ??❤️‍????

Jim Koss

Ten sips of water not taking a breath and holding somewhere in between not breathing in or out works for me everytime. Side note: got this from the old show The courtship of Eddie’s father.

Coleen Lucian

Get someone to cup your ears as you drink a glass of water works every time

Margie Davis

Sing the alphabet song. Each time you hiccup, start over. When you get thru the whole song, the hiccups will be gone.

Plan Your Day. Grow Your Life.

Enter your email address to receive our free Newsletter!