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Is there a one word substitute for the scenario below, and what is the politest way of saying it to another person or colleague?

I drink water from my bottle by touching my mouth

When someone wants to drink water from my bottle, I need to inform him/her in a polite way that I drank it by touching it with my mouth.

This is because some people are concerned about this thing, and I don't want to embarrass them.

Mari-Lou A
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NewAtProgramming
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    I've had it in my mouth' (but this might not be considered too urbane in register). 'I've already drunk from that bottle'. – Edwin Ashworth Aug 20 '14 at 14:41
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    What about just "Oh, I've already used that bottle...my mouth touched it, sorry!" You'd be OK with that – Fattie Aug 20 '14 at 14:51
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    I don't think there is a single word for this in English. – Scimonster Aug 20 '14 at 14:51
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    Related: http://ell.stackexchange.com/questions/16330/how-should-i-say-this – Damkerng T. Aug 20 '14 at 15:02
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    mouthed the bottle? – ermanen Aug 20 '14 at 15:12
  • I think if you said "mouthed the bottle" or "lipped the bottle" (see below), it would be perfectly understandable .. but I'd say those are not really "used, common, words" for the thing in question, don't you agree ... – Fattie Aug 20 '14 at 15:37
  • @Joe: I agree. Just mentioning as a one word alternative and emphasizing that "mouth" can be used in this sense as a verb. – ermanen Aug 20 '14 at 15:43
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    What we need here is a colorful Aussie, eg, "Crikey, I've slagged all over that one mate! Sorry!" – Fattie Aug 20 '14 at 15:54
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    Hey it's the Surprise Popular Question of the day!! :) – Fattie Aug 20 '14 at 15:54
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    If you really don't want someone else to drink from your bottle, you can say "contaminated" :) – ermanen Aug 20 '14 at 16:04
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    The answer to the question is no. There is not a single word to convey the fact that you placed your mouth around the bottle, touching it with your lips. (Why does it seem that everyone is looking for a single word for everything? Ooohhmmmmm.) – Drew Aug 20 '14 at 16:27
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    "I drank /directly/ from the bottle". – Peter Aug 20 '14 at 16:33
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    I usually drink directly from a bottle without actually touching it by lips... – Vi0 Aug 20 '14 at 20:06
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    Generally speaking, I would assume that the owner of the bottle had touched it with their mouth. I wouldn't feel the need to explicitly tell that to someone. – David K Aug 20 '14 at 20:14
  • there are plenty of ways to say this in (roughly) one word (the bottle is "used", "opened", "tainted", etc), but no one would actually do that. they would multiple words like all the answers suggest. – user428517 Aug 20 '14 at 21:30
  • @Vi0 I would say that in that case, you don’t actually drink from the bottle at all; you’re just pouring liquid from the bottle into your mouth. Or I suppose if you’re using a straw, I might concede I would probably think of that as drinking from the bottle with a straw … but otherwise, if straws are not involved, drinking from a bottle definitely involves the lips touching the bottle to me. – Janus Bahs Jacquet Aug 20 '14 at 23:20
  • @JanusBahsJacquet I think an eight-year-old just might figure out what I cootied the bottle meant, but probably nobody else would. And you certainly don’t want to say you “herpied” it. – tchrist Aug 20 '14 at 23:27
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    @DavidK I would think you must be right, since if a person asks for a sip of the beer or water or whatnot that I’m drinking straight out of the bottle, they would certainly realize that that was what I had been doing. I therefore am unclear on the context that this question would require real-world use for; every real-world scenario seems to make the need for informing them superfluous. But perhaps that is because in my culture, you would never ask for a taste of someone else’s drink unless knowing that they had drunk from it themselves would never bother you. – tchrist Aug 20 '14 at 23:33
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    @tchrist Possibly the bottle in question is kept in the fridge, it could be water, juice whatever. It's a large bottle, some people pour themselves a glass and replace the bottle back in the fridge; others drink straight from the bottle, especially if the drink is theirs and they live alone. So the situation is plausible, you might want to warn your unexpected visitor that the bottle is not hygienic (or you might choose to keep schtum and pour him/her a glass.) :)) – Mari-Lou A Aug 21 '14 at 05:11
  • @tchrist The locality delusion explains it all. ;) http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/189665/what-is-the-reason-that-american-english-and-british-english-use-post-and-mai/189676#comment396140_189665 – Frank Aug 21 '14 at 07:14
  • Who doesn't use his mouth when drinking...? ;) – Axel Aug 21 '14 at 16:48
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    Does any language have a single word for this? – aaa90210 Aug 22 '14 at 02:32
  • @Axel Butt-chuggers that's who (and you really, really, really do want to know that before you take a drink from the same bottle). – Frank Aug 22 '14 at 11:00
  • You don't want to embarrass the asker, but what response do you expect if you mention that you touched the bottle with your mouth? That may create an awkward situation while it wasn't awkward seconds earlier. If someone asks for the bottle you have been drinking from, let them do the math. If the person in question would be bothered, he wouldn't ask in the first place. – Sherlock Aug 23 '14 at 21:25
  • "It's mine." Who drinks from someone else's bottle, anyway? :P – apnorton Aug 23 '14 at 21:43
  • "Boy germs" works for me. – dave Sep 10 '14 at 07:50

13 Answers13

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"I drank straight from the bottle. Do you mind?"

Deepak
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    Excellent. It makes clear one isn't wanting to hog the bottle for oneself and does not imply that one deliberately "poisoned the well", but at the same time it lets the other person politely decline to accept the bottle without giving offense. – supercat Aug 22 '14 at 17:27
  • (Slaps forehead) I used the exact same expression in the comments section. Damn! :) +1 Although I'd prefer: "I hope you don't mind" to "Do you mind?" – Mari-Lou A Aug 24 '14 at 03:28
  • LOL, Mari-Lou, please don't slap yourself on my account. :) Thank you for the suggestion. "I hope you don't mind" definitely sounds gentler to the ear. – Deepak Aug 24 '14 at 03:51
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    @Mari-Lou, "I hope you don't mind" has a higher risk of making someone who does mind unconfortable to admit it. – Emilio M Bumachar Aug 24 '14 at 14:17
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If you say you drank "from that bottle", with a slight accent on "from", most native English speakers will know what you mean.

David Schwartz
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    You don't even need to emphasize "from". Nobody's going to think you meant "You can't have any of my Coke because I already poured some of it into a glass and drank from that" so "I drank from that bottle" can only really mean "I drank directly from the bottle". – David Richerby Aug 20 '14 at 20:14
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    in fact you'd sound weird if you did do this. "i already drank from that bottle." wha? if anything you'd emphasize drank. – user428517 Aug 20 '14 at 21:36
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    @sgroves You're imagining an unnatural form of emphasis that is weird. If you say it to yourself normally, you'll catch that there's a natural form of emphasis you put on "from", that almost makes the "o" go away. – David Schwartz Aug 20 '14 at 23:15
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    @DavidSchwartz I suspect the emphasis varies regionally. – user867 Aug 21 '14 at 02:24
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    @sgroves Get your own drank, that un's meyn. – Elliott Frisch Aug 21 '14 at 03:06
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    @DavidSchwartz saying this aloud over and over, i still can't hear any emphasis on from, but i'll assume it's a regional thing. my natural emphasis is on drank. – user428517 Aug 21 '14 at 19:18
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    As the old joke goes: A: "I spat in this beer!" B: "Really! So did I." – Pieter Geerkens Aug 21 '14 at 22:16
  • I most definitely don't put emphasis on from. If you make it directly from that bottle, then from takes on emphasis. – ErikE Aug 21 '14 at 22:50
  • The phrase I have heard almost exclusively is "straight from the bottle". – Canis Lupus Aug 22 '14 at 16:00
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I would substitute the verb drink with sip, the latter sounds more gentlemanly/polite and it implies you quenched your thirst directly from the bottle, instead of using a glass or a straw.

I'm sorry, I've already sipped from that bottle.

sip v. 1. drink (something) by taking small mouthfuls.

Mari-Lou A
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    Damn that is smart ... – Fattie Aug 20 '14 at 15:55
  • This also distinguishes from the case (as I will often do for shared fridge liquids) of holding the bottle/pouring container above my head and pouring it directly into my mouth without letting it touch my lips. – Michael Aug 20 '14 at 17:57
  • @Michael I believe that's the OP's intent - in many parts of the world it's really, really not the done thing to share by touching the bottle to your lips, but sharing is the norm - by pouring. – Chris H Aug 20 '14 at 18:26
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    This is unnecessary finessing. "I already drank from it" is fine and has exactly the same connotations, except that it doesn't suggest you were being all dainty about taking a small amount at a time. – David Richerby Aug 20 '14 at 19:13
  • @DavidRicherby I don't consider "I drank from that bottle" as suggested by David Schwartz as being particularly polite. I agree that it is the most common form, but remember the OP asked for the politest way. – Mari-Lou A Aug 20 '14 at 20:00
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    @Mari-LouA "I drank from it" is not even in the slightest bit impolite and "I've already sipped from it" is not any more or less polite; it's just using fancier words. We're talking about the simple act of drinking from a bottle: it's not like we're defecating and need to tiptoe around the subject for fear of causing offence. – David Richerby Aug 20 '14 at 20:10
  • @DavidRicherby isn't apologizing to someone, polite? Especially if that person is about to drink from the very same bottle. Sip is hardly fancy, but it does unequivocally mean that the person has touched the bottle with his/her lips. – Mari-Lou A Aug 20 '14 at 20:14
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    @Mari-LouA I was focusing on the difference between "drink" and "sip". I agree that adding "I'm sorry" to the front does make it more polite and I should have made my comments clearer on that point. – David Richerby Aug 20 '14 at 20:28
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    even though the asker said they're looking for the politest way to say it, i think it's safe for answers to provide the most appropriate way to say it that is also polite. "i already drank from that" is perfectly polite and perfectly acceptable in any situation where this might come up. – user428517 Aug 20 '14 at 21:28
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    To my ears, "sipped" doesn't sound more polite, it sounds pretentious. – Harry Johnston Aug 21 '14 at 21:13
  • @Mari-LouA: Must be a regional thing - I would interpret both statements the opposite way round, with sipping implying use of a straw, and drinking not so implying. – Pieter Geerkens Aug 21 '14 at 22:18
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    I would just like to point out that by saying "I'm sorry," your are telling the person, "No you can't drink from this." You may instead want to omit "I'm sorry" and thereby give them the option of sharing the bottle anyway. – Jonathan Graef Aug 22 '14 at 08:41
  • @JonathanGraef I am not saying to anyone they cannot drink from that bottle. The apology is for the fact that I have placed my mouth around the bottle opening. I'm sorry that I did that. It's forgivable when you are living alone, less so when you are sharing. – Mari-Lou A Aug 22 '14 at 10:23
  • If it's relevant here, to many Americans the word 'sipped' will sound (a) pretentious coming from another American, but probably (b) quaint and/or cute coming from a non-native speaker with an accent. :) – wilee Aug 22 '14 at 16:56
  • Saying "nipped" has the advantage of stopping the current conversation and possibly starting another one. – som-snytt Aug 24 '14 at 05:39
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    If someone asks for a sip, and you say you've been nipping, then it's not water in the bottle, presumably. – som-snytt Aug 24 '14 at 07:32
  • @som-snytt I've never heard of "nipping (at) the bottle"? New to me! – Mari-Lou A Aug 24 '14 at 07:36
  • "the latter sounds more gentlemanly/polite" tips fedora – caelum19 Aug 24 '14 at 20:24
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My suggestion is cooties:

"May I have some water?"
"Sure, if you don't mind my cooties."

The technical definition of cooties is body lice (Source: Merriam-Webster), but it is a term often tossed around on the playground to refer to any potential germ (usually from someone you don't want to socialize with).

In Great Britain, you could imply you have the lurgi instead.

jxh
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"Backwashed..."

You could say "backwashed" in a joking manner (self-deprecating humor). "Backwashing" is slang for the beverage being contaminated by saliva, etc...

Jon Onstott
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  • This is a good answer, but would benefit greatly with further elaboration. (What is back wash? How might you use it?) – dwjohnston Aug 20 '14 at 22:21
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    Yuk! You are effectively admitting to spitting some of the water back into the bottle. That might be funny to some people, but it is definitely not polite. It would be useful if you want to make sure nobody wants to share your water. – Level River St Aug 21 '14 at 08:06
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    @steveverrill: think about what happens when you stop drinking. You either form a barrier or you tip the bottle down. Generally speaking, some small amount of liquid that has been in contact with some part of your mouth (probably lips) ends up in the bottle, whether you admit it or not. – Steve Jessop Aug 21 '14 at 14:55
  • I recall my twenty-something daughter using *backwash* in this context a few weeks ago, when refusing the last sip from my can of beer. I told her I drink reasonably carefully from cans and bottles, so I don't dribble back into the container. – FumbleFingers Aug 21 '14 at 15:52
  • @dwjohnston You've never heard the term? It's definitely not something one "uses".... – Kyle Strand Aug 22 '14 at 23:36
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    @steveverrill I believe I actually saw a Mythbusters or similar show trying to see which containers (cups, cans, etc) could be drunk from with the least backwash (by someone trying as hard as possible to avoid backwash). They found that unless they actually poured the liquid into their mouth from above with no lip-contact whatsoever, there was always at least some backwash. So I would suggest that you either completely stop sharing drinks or come to terms with the limitations of human mouths. – Kyle Strand Aug 22 '14 at 23:39
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    @KyleStrand of course it happens, and this is the OP's concern. But the question was how to politely (i.e. not graphically) advise someone of this. In the same way that there is no need to say "I'm going to the shitter for a dump, the turtle's head is poking out." That might be amusing to some, but it is not polite. – Level River St Aug 22 '14 at 23:46
  • @steveverrill Maybe it's just a question of personal opinion, but I don't feel like it's inherently impolite to refer to backwash. It's certainly not equivalent to "admitting to spitting some of the water back into the bottle." – Kyle Strand Aug 22 '14 at 23:59
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Instead of simply stating that your mouth has touched the bottle, you could also suggest that the person should wipe it first.

"Can I have a sip of your water?"
"Sure, you might want to give it a bit of a wipe first though"

Pharap
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"Backwash" is the saliva than can enter the bottle inadvertently when you sip from it. You could say "It might have backwash in it." Alternately you can use the noun like a verb: "I might have backwashed it" in the sense of "I might have contaminated it (with my backwash)."

keg murdah
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Slavery (not 'slavery' as in buying, selling and owning people)

Here's a link to the pronunciation of slaver.

If you are happy to have a single word that could be applied to something other than just a bottle but means that you have had your mouth on it and there may be traces of your saliva left on it then Slavery is a good candidate.

You can just say that single word Slavery and as long as it's clear that your intentions are to warn the other person of the possibility of spit-swapping then it should be understood.

OED1 (out of copyright) mentions befouled with slaver.

Slaver (from the same source) is Saliva issuing or falling from the mouth.

Slavery

Frank
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  • I think this choice will be passed over because it is a homograph of a word with a very bad connotation. I would choose slobbery instead (although it may be a transmutation of this word). – jxh Aug 24 '14 at 16:37
  • @jxh Homographs shouldn't matter in speech, but I'm sure you are right because nobody speaks on this site so almost everyone will read it as the other version of slavery. – Frank Aug 24 '14 at 16:52
  • @Frank As the primary goal of language is communication, I would think this word might be a little too obscure to most people to say in a casual context (without seeming awkward). Also, it's best if you speak in a polite manner on this site (i.e. don't make comments like "nobody speaks on this site"). – kettlecrab Aug 25 '14 at 04:04
  • @Stopforgettingmyaccounts... It's not obscure to me, it's a documented word, it's neither rare nor obsolete. I'm confused by your last sentence; I don't speak on this site, I write on it, I don't listen on this site, I read from it. I suppose one could use a text-to-speech program to hear what's written but I doubt it would get the pronunciation of slavery correct. – Frank Aug 25 '14 at 04:25
  • @Frank I'm basing my opinion that slavery, in the sense you are describing, is obscure by the social circles I have observed. Also, you're being overly literal... and cheeky. – kettlecrab Aug 25 '14 at 07:45
  • @FizzledOut I didn't mean to sound cheeky. I accept that you may not find the word commonplace in some social circles but it is no less a word for that. Literal, yes, everyone that reads slavery above reads buying, selling and owning people until they read the definition and pronunciation, then it becomes covered in spit. I'll add a pronunciation link. – Frank Aug 25 '14 at 08:07
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I would stress it in another way:

"Hey New@, can I have a drink from your bottle?"

"(Sure, Jane,) if you don't mind that I drank straight from the/that bottle"

Stress is not necessary, but if you want, you can stress whatever you like.

Probably 'straight' and 'that' would be more eligible than David's 'from'

0

I would probably say "I licked this bottle"

Tim Sparkles
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  • I was thinking the same thing. It's slightly facetious, since you probably didn't literally lick it, so the only risk is if it's a little less formal than the questioner wants. But it's polite, it gets across precisely the necessary information ("don't drink from this bottle if you're bothered by this kind of thing"), and it doesn't sound at all awkward. "I've licked that" is a common juvenile way to express "you can't eat it, it's mine now", so to avoid the connotation of refusing permission you could say something like "you can have some, but I've already licked it". – Steve Jessop Aug 21 '14 at 01:43
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    This isn;t polite, in fact it just makes you sound a bit crazy. If someone told me they licked the bottle id have images of them licking the side of the bottle up and down in a very odd and crazed manner – cowls Aug 22 '14 at 07:51
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How about:

"I've had some of that . . . ."

. . . and optionally also displaying a physical gesture of acknowledgement towards said bottle?

The ball is then rightly returned back to the enquirers side of the court, it could then dually be presumed by all interested parties that any subsequent actions undertaken are wholly their own responsibility.

Krisp1
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It's not a polite word,but "mouthed" is a single word for touching the bottle with your lips.

Benjamin Wade
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I have drunk from the bottle/I have (already) drunk out of it/I have already taken a sip from the bottle/I have drunk directly from the bottle/I have already drunk directly from the bottle.

I think 'directly' is the word that indicates a polite sense of caution.

user104169
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