Dip

If you travel around the South you have to know about dip. Otherwise you're bound to experience some rather odd sights. What is dip? Dip aka smokeless tobacco is a special way to enjoy tobacco without burning and inhaling it. One takes a pinch of dip out of the can and puts it between the lower lip and the gums. The nicotine then gets absorbed through the mouth. One is advised to spit out excess saliva. Otherwise he/she will have a very bad time.

Smokeless tobacco is not a save alternative to cigarettes and may cause tooth loss and/or oral cancer!

So from now on when you get to a supermarket in (the southern parts of) the US you'll know what these small cans in the tobacco department are. If you meet someone who seems to have a swollen lower lip, look again - he might just dip. And if you happen to sit at the gate at the airport and someone next to you keeps spitting into an empty water bottle you know what he is doing.