Mouth Soaping

Mouthsoaping, also known as mouth washing, is a form of punishment in which a person is made to taste soap or some other unpleasant-tasting substance. While soap is the most classic substance used for this punishment and gave it its name, hot pepper, chili sauce, or any foul-tasting (but untoxic and harmless, from a health point of view) substance can be used in a similar fashion. In the Rejuve Universe the main tool for mouth-washing is Penny Soap which is a fictional equivalent of products like Castor Oil, Behavol or Swearoil.

History
Typically, mouth washing is used to punish "bad language", mostly meaning profanity, obscenity, or other speech deemed unacceptable (a case of punishment on the point of offense). Slightly less commonly, it is used to punish lying. It can, however, be used under other circumstances, as can any form of punishment.

When soap is used, the punishment ritual symbolizes the "cleaning of the mouth" from the "foul or dirty" language or lie.

Mouthsoaping was a common method of punishment in the first half of the 20th century but has declined in popularity significantly since the 1960s. Historically, it has been practiced primarily in the United Kingdom, Australia and United States.

Procedure
The essence of washing out mouth with soap is to place soap (or another cleansing agent) inside a person's mouth so that the person will taste it, inducing what most people consider an unpleasant experience. One of the most common methods uses a bar of soap, oil or similar non-toxic liquid and place it in the mouth. Alternatively the substance can be applied to a cloth or a toothbrush and smeared liberally on the tongue and inside of the mouth. Since some of the chemical can be swallowed and Washing out mouth with soap is generally not intended to cause lasting harm; toxic or caustic agents such as dish-washing liquid should not be used.

Links

 * Chevrolet ad featuring mouth soaping
 * Comic page of Little Orphan Annie that features a mouth washing scene
 * Teacher suspended for washing student's mouth out with soap on Nospank.net (2004)