英語學習點: Kissing Vocabulary 有關‘吻’的詞匯

"Get your gob in gear for a night!" That was the invitation to a recent event in London celebrating the art of kissing.

People were asked to put on lip gloss, press their mouths against a piece of card and then write a message describing a memorable smacker.

One woman mentioned her experience of giving a peck on a baby's cheek.

Another moaned about a sloppy kiss she had received from a new boyfriend.

Anthropologists suggest the origins of the snog aren't romantic: in primitive times mothers chewed food and gave it to their babies mouth-to-mouth.

Today, kissing etiquette varies according to local customs. In some countries people will greet you with one peck, in others with two or more.

In France, they are so keen on kissing that they have even got a smacker named after them: the French kiss. That's the one where tongues get busy.

But in India a smooch in public could land you in jail. In Germany, you won't be giving your freedom the kiss-off but an inappropriate snog could be the kiss of death for your promotion. The Knigge Society says the practice of greeting work colleagues with a kiss is uncomfortable for many Germans.

The longest continuous snog ever recorded lasted for more than 46 hours. A Thai couple locked lips in a special event in the beach resort of Pattaya.

But what about Britain? Well, we Brits are much less shy than we used to be about kissing in public, but not everyone is keen. In particular, air kissing is seen as an affectation of the rich and beautiful classes. You can even refer to such people as mwahs, which is the sound of a kiss: "Darling! Mwah!"