In the world of competitive spitting, gleeking would be considered a stealth fighter. It's actually an acquired skill in which the gleeker rolls back his or her tongue, then compresses a sub-mandibular salivary gland until a stream of saliva is released. With enough practice and salivary stimulation, a gleeker can project an arc of watery saliva several feet in the air. The point is to find a suitable target and silently dowse it with a short burst of spit.
Many people experience unintentional bouts of gleeking whenever they yawn deeply or consume hard candy or other tart or spicy foods that stimulate the salivary glands. Ordinarily, the tongue protects others from the effects, but sometimes the tongue is pulled out of position and the saliva escapes through a duct in the gland. This is a natural process triggered by mental or physical stimulation of the salivary glands just before eating or drinking.
While the process is not limited by age, its appeal as a deliberate act seems to be limited to preadolescent and adolescent children. The fact that some people can gleek seemingly at will while others cannot only adds to its appeal as a rude but generally harmless act. A talented gleeker will wait until a target has come into range and then silently dowse him or her with a spray of watery saliva. The victim may not even be aware he or she has been attacked, since gleeking is such a silent act.
Some people may have heard other terms for the act, such as gleeping, glanding, or geezing. Some sources will also render the term as gleaking. The word itself can be traced back to the Middle Ages, but not in relation to the act of spitting. Shakespeare used it as an insult in several plays, but etymologists suggest the word actually meant to joke or brag, not expectorate.
Although gleeking is not always listed as a punishable offense in a student's book of conduct, it would most likely be considered an assault similar to actual spitting. Demonstrating the skill to other classmates might be considered in poor taste, but it should never be performed deliberately on any student or faculty member. It is not considered harmful to the gleeker, but it could lead to general soreness and injury to the tongue if performed over a long period of time.
