Soap Punishment: Difference between revisions

 

A common punishment, mostly for children, after they have said a dirty word is to get their mouth washed out with soap. This often indicates a very conservative family, or a child who has been neglected and not taught "proper" language.

{{examples}}

* A recent [http://www.spike.com/video-clips/f840d9/general-motors-gm-soap-in-your-mouth Super Bowl commercial]{{Dead link}} showed a montage of kids with a bar of soap in their mouths for no apparent reason. Then we learn that the ad was for a new car with an automatic retracting roof. A kid says "holy [[Curse Cut Short|sh--!]]" when he sees it in action, hence the soap in the mouth.

 

* Done in ''[[Lucky Luke]]'' by Ma Dalton to one of her foul-mouthed sons.

 

* Happened in ''[[A Christmas Story]]'' to Ralphie. After sending him to bed, his mother sticks the soap in her own mouth, just to see what it tastes like.

* In ''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit?]]'', the lead weasel is threatening Eddie to tell him where Roger is and to "cut the bullschtick". Eddie tells him to watch his mouth or he'll "wash your mouth off" and shoves a bar of soap into his mouth.

 

* ''Sisterhood'' series by [[Fern Michaels]]: ''Collateral Damage'' has [[FBI]] director Elias Cummings threaten this sort of punishment to Daniel Winters for throwing four-letter words around.

* ''[[The Catcher in The Rye]]'': Holden Caulfield tries asking Ward Stradlater if Stradlater gave Jane Gallagher the time. That, by the way, is ''old'' slang for having sex with someone. Stradlater responds "What a thing to say. Want me to wash your mouth out with soap?"

* The autobiography of Aileen Porter, ''[[Papa Was A Preacher]]'', tells about how she got her mouth scrubbed out with soap for saying "I'll be John Brown" within her father's hearing.

 

* Used in ''[[Dinosaurs]]'' when Baby learns rude words off the television. When Fran washes his mouth out, every time a bubble from his mouth pops it echoes the word.

* In the ''[[United States of Tara]]'', Alice, one of Tara's alters who is a 1950s housewife, invokes this trope after Kate gives her [[Ethical Slut]] rant. Alice follows through on the threat, driving Kate to get a job so she can move out (which becomes a major subplot for the next two seasons).

 

* ''[[Jump Start]]'' for [http://www.gocomics.com/jumpstart/2011/12/16#mutable_727115 12-16-11]. Marcy Cobb tells her husband Joe that she had to wash out their son Joseph's mouth for lying. Joe reminds her that washing out someone's mouth with soap is for cursing, not lying.

* Aunt Dolly does this to Wal after she hears him swearing at the livestock in an early ''[[Footrot Flats]]'' strip.

 

* The response to the player swearing in ''[[The Very Big Cave Adventure]]'':

{{quote|You are in the Swear Box.

You know what to do. }}

 

 

* Goofy's Son ([[Goof Troop|no, the other one]]) in the [[Classic Disney Short]] ''Fathers are People''.

* Another [[Classic Disney Short]] ''The Practical Pig'': A lie detector uses this on the Big Bad Wolf.

* ''[[Animaniacs]]'': In "Roll Over, Beethoven", Yakko, Wakko and Dot do this to Beethoven after he describes himself as a 'pianist'.

* ''[[King of the Hill]]'': In "That's What She Said", Hank washes out the foul mouth of a new employee with soap.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Comedy Tropes]]

[[Category:A Tortured Index]]