Shotgunning
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Shotgunning is a means of consuming a canned beverage, especially beer, very quickly by a particular technique involving punching a hole in the side of the can. It is usually practiced as a form of drinking game and is especially popular among college students. The practice is known in parts of Australia as doing a "sub", in parts of Western Canada as "springing a beer" (apparently to make it sound less intimidating to rookie drinkers), and in the eastern United States as "keying" (a beer).
[edit] Procedures
To shotgun a beverage, one punches a small hole in the side of the can with a sharp object, usually near the bottom while the can is upside down. By tilting the can carefully, the puncture will go through the air-pocket in the can, keeping the drink from flying out; this is usually done using a key, bottle opener, pen, or other sharp instrument. In most cases, a certain amount of beer spillage will occur. Lacking this, teeth or a strong thumb can be used by the experienced shotgunner. The drinker then places this hole to their lips, tilts the can right-side-up, and pulls the tab in the usual manner. The combined effects of gravity and the pressure change that follow when the tab is pulled cause the beverage to be forced out of the can, and into the drinker's mouth, very rapidly.
[edit] Media
The method of shotgunning a beer is demonstrated by John Cusack and Daphne Zuniga in the 1985 film The Sure Thing. Film critic James Lipton once appeared on Late Night With Conan O'Brien to "discuss" the film, but was instead told that the staff really just wanted him to shotgun a beer on camera, a request that Lipton gladly fulfilled.
A demonstration can also be seen on the TV show House MD, where Dr. House uses the shotgunning technique to consume a can of caffeinated soft drink (Season 2, episode 15).
[edit] See also
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