History Main / FingerLickingPoison

----
<<|MysteryFiction|>>
<<|CrimeAndPunishmentTropes|>>

Most often a [[MysteryFiction mystery trope]], considering the murder angle. Modern examples of are probably inspired by the novel/film ''Literature/{{The Name of the Rose}}'', although one example is from the ''Literature/ArabianNights'', [[OlderThanPrint making this...]]

'''Finger-Lickin' Good Poison:'''

* ''Literature/{{The Name of the Rose}}'': in an attempt to keep [[spoiler:{{Aristotle}}'s ''Poetics'']] hidden, an evil monk poisons the page corners so anyone who reads it will die before they can tell others about it.
* ''[[Literature/ArabianNights The Arabian Nights]]'' tale ''The Tale of the Vizier and the Sage Duban'', wherein the Duban, sentenced to execution by a treacherous king, gives him a book with orders not to read it until after his head has been cut off. After that's done, the head comes back to life and instructs the king to turn three pages with his left hand. When the king turns the pages (naturally, licking his finger along the way) and finds nothing written there, the Duban essentially tells him the pages were poisoned and if the Duban had to go, he was [[TakingYouWithMe taking the king with him]]. CrowningMomentOfAwesome for a severed head.
** Although this essentially makes the vizier who ''caused'' the execution a KarmaHoudini, as he didn't touch the book and sure as hell wouldn't ''after'' seeing what happened to his king.
* In the Literature/{{Discworld}} novel ''Discworld/FeetOfClay'', this is one of the theories as to how Vetinari got poisoned, in an obvious shoutout to The Name Of The Rose.

* Non-poison example: in ''Red Seas Under Red Skies'', Locke and Jean win a card game by sprinkling a sleep-inducing drug on the cards. One of their opponents is notorious for eating and licking her fingers while she plays, and she forfeits the game when the drug puts her to sleep.

[[AC:Manga and Anime]]

[[AC:Tabletop Games]]
* In the {{Dungeons and Dragons}} adventure series ''Curse of the Crimson Throne'', [[spoiler: the King of Korvosa is killed this way, setting the entire plot in motion. The poison was placed on playing cards, and the king is a habitual nail-biter.]]

[[AC:Videogames]]
* Finger-licking isn't explicitly mentioned, but in ''AssassinsCreed'', Agostino Barbarigo dies after receiving several poisoned letters from the Assassins.

[[AC:Western Animation]]
* In the old TV show, ''JacobTwoTwo'', a bad guy puts into motion a plot to kill people via this method.[[spoiler: He fails]]

'''Other Lickable Objects:'''

* One ''{{Batman}}'' comic featured the Joker's venom being applied to postage stamps. [[spoiler: The twist being that the Joker didn't do it.]]

* ''ASongOfIceAndFire'': twice, with the same method. First the prologue of A Feast for Crows: [[spoiler: The Alchemist (Jaqen H'ghar's new personality) pays Pate, a novice in the Citadel with a poisoned coin. Pate bites the coin then the dust.]] Second, [[spoiler: Arya's first sanctioned killing in Dance: she deliberately botches a cutpursery to replace one of the coins of a ship owner with a poisoned one. The owner then pays a greedy insurer with said coin. The insurer also has a habit of biting the coins...]].
* ''The Three Widows'', by ElleryQueen had a victim being slowly poisoned even though everything she ate and drank was carefully screened beforehand. It turned out the would-be killer was [[spoiler: her doctor ]]and the poison was [[spoiler: on the thermometer with which he took her temperature each day.]]

* ''{{CSI}}'' did this one - during the course of an attempted murder, the apparent victim spilled ricin on her pen, and then killed herself by biting the end of it.

[[AC:Real Life]]
* Real-life example: While not highly toxic by itself, Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) has the property of being quickly and easily absorbed through skin contact, allowing easy contact absorption of whatever else happens to be mixed with it. This allows a deadly but hard to deliver poison to be easily ingested through the skin.

* A poisoned letter stamp in ''[[AceAttorney Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney]].'' Also upgraded to poisoned nail polish, because the intended victim ([[spoiler: a young girl named Vera Misham]]) had a tendency to bit her nails a lot.

<<|CrimeAndPunishmentTropes|>>

* Classic example: in Alexandre Dumas' Literature/LaReineMargot (AKA ''Marguerite de Valois''), poisoned book is used in attempt on King Henry of Navarre's life, but the plan backfires with disastrous results. Earlier in the same novel, even more devious plan to poison Henry via his paramour's lipstick is employed [[spoiler: but thwarted by the would-be poisoner who couldn't murder said paramour in cold blood]].

* Finger-licking isn't explicitly mentioned, but in AssassinsCreed, Agostino Barbarigo dies after receiving several poisoned letters from the Assassins.

* In the old TV show, Jacob Two Two, a bad guy puts into motion a plot to kill people via this method.[[spoiler: He fails]]

[[AC:Literature]]
* In ''{{Discworld}}'' [[{{Defictionalization}} stamp-collecting]], the original Assassins' Guild 3p stamp (the Thrupenny Dreadful), is very rare, at least gummed. The in-universe reason for this is that they were recalled due to unsubstantiated rumours that the Guild was using it to fulfill contracts.
* In ''RobinHobb'''s Assassin's Apprentice, one of Fitz-Chivalry's assassination ploys was to [[spoiler: poison the cutlery instead of the food.]]
* During the [[{{Belgariad}} Mallorean]] series, Sadi kills a man by coating the man's soup spoon with poison.
* ''ASongOfIceAndFire'': twice, with the same method. First the prologue of A Feast for Crows: [[spoiler: The Alchemist (Jaqen H'ghar's new personality) pays Pate, a novice in the Citadel with a poisoned coin. Pate bites the coin then the dust.]] Second, [[spoiler: Arya's first sanctioned killing in Dance: she deliberately botches a cutpursery to replace one of the coins of a ship owner with a poisoned one. The owner then pays a greedy insurer with said coin. The insurer also has a habit of biting the coins...]].
* ''The Three Widows'', by ElleryQueen had a victim being slowly poisoned even though everything she ate and drank was carefully screened beforehand. It turned out the would-be killer was [[spoiler: her doctor ]]and the poison was [[spoiler: on the thermometer with which he took her temperature each day.]]

* Classic example: in Alexandre Dumas' LaReineMargot (AKA ''Marguerite de Valois''), poisoned book is used in attempt on King Henry of Navarre's life, but the plan backfires with disastrous results. Earlier in the same novel, even more devious plan to poison Henry via his paramour's lipstick is employed [[spoiler: but thwarted by the would-be poisoner who couldn't murder said paramour in cold blood]].

* Classic example: in Alexandre Dumas' ''Literature/LaReineMargot'' (AKA ''Marguerite de Valois''), poisoned book is used in attempt on King Henry of Navarre's life, but the plan backfires with disastrous results. Earlier in the same novel, even more devious plan to poison Henry via his paramour's lipstick is employed [[spoiler: but thwarted by the would-be poisoner who couldn't murder said paramour in cold blood]].

* Classic example: in Alexandre Dumas' ''LaReineMargot'' (AKA ''Marguerite de Valois''), poisoned book is used in attempt on King Henry of Navarre's life, but the plan backfires with disastrous results. Earlier in the same novel, even more devious plan to poison Henry via his paramour's lipstick is employed [[spoiler: but thwarted by the would-be poisoner who couldn't murder said paramour in cold blood]].

Most often a [[MysteryFiction mystery trope]], considering the murder angle. Modern examples of are probably inspired by the novel/film ''Literature/{{The Name of the Rose}}'', although one example is from the ''ArabianNights'', [[OlderThanPrint making this...]]

* ''[[ArabianNights The Arabian Nights]]'' tale ''The Tale of the Vizier and the Sage Duban'', wherein the Duban, sentenced to execution by a treacherous king, gives him a book with orders not to read it until after his head has been cut off. After that's done, the head comes back to life and instructs the king to turn three pages with his left hand. When the king turns the pages (naturally, licking his finger along the way) and finds nothing written there, the Duban essentially tells him the pages were poisoned and if the Duban had to go, he was [[TakingYouWithMe taking the king with him]]. CrowningMomentOfAwesome for a severed head.

* ''A Game at Dinner'', an in-game short story in some ElderScrolls games, has [[MagnificentBastard King Helseth]] announce to his assembled dinner guests that he put poison on the cutlery of someone he knows has been spying on him. [[spoiler:It turns out to be a subversion, however, as Helseth was [[BluffingTheMurderer Bluffing The Spy]], and the real poison is the antidote he offers to the spy if they confess.]]

* I forget the title and author, but one story had a victim being slowly poisoned even though everything she ate and drank was carefully screened beforehand. It turned out the would-be killer was [[spoiler: her doctor ]]and the poison was [[spoiler: on the thermometer with which he took her temperature each day.]]

* ''{{The Name of the Rose}}'': in an attempt to keep [[spoiler:{{Aristotle}}'s ''Poetics'']] hidden, an evil monk poisons the page corners so anyone who reads it will die before they can tell others about it.

* In the {{Discworld}} novel ''Discworld/FeetOfClay'', this is one of the theories as to how Vetinari got poisoned, in an obvious shoutout to The Name Of The Rose.

Most often a [[MysteryFiction mystery trope]], considering the murder angle. Modern examples of are probably inspired by the novel/film ''{{The Name of the Rose}}'', although one example is from the ''ArabianNights'', [[OlderThanPrint making this...]]

Poison and detective novels are one of the great romances in fiction. Writers of the genre are always looking for new ways to administer the deadly stuff, which gives us this trope: a murder method wherein poison is unwittingly self-administered when the victim licks an object coated in the poison.

* In the ''JonathanCreek'' episode "The House Of Monkeys" the victim was sent a request for a signed copy of his book. The murderer included a stamped addressed envelope to send the book in... stamped, addressed and poisoned with a psychotropic drug on the flap you lick.

* There was a ''RemingtonSteele'' where the poison was in the glue on some envelopes Steele and Laura were expected to lick.

* ''[[EleventhHour 11th Hour]]'' used this one early in its first (only?) season.

* In ''CaseClosed'', a man was murdered via [[spoiler: poison applied to the temperature control of a cooking range on which a pot of water was boiling, after which he counted money and licked the poison from his fingers]].
** One of the movies had a woman murdered in a similar way. [[spoiler: her make-up artist put the poison in her make-up, and then gave her normal chocolates on an airplane trip. The woman pinched her nose to pop her ears, getting the poison on her fingers, and then ate a chocolate and licked her fingers, ingesting the poison.]]
** Another example: a musician is murdered by [[spoiler: poison applied on the inside of his jacket sleeve]] and asked to perform a song that required him to throw off the jacket and take a pose where the poison would transfer to his hand. The food, all non-poisoned, were things like sushi and nigiri and there were no eating utensils.
** Another man was poisoned via a poisoned wet napkin while eating sushi.
** And YET ANOTHER was poisoned because his murderer put poison on the spot on the lazy susan between two dishes that the victim was allergic to, and so he kept getting poison on his fingers every time he saw said dishes.
** A man who disliked sour things was nevertheless poisoned by a lemon wedge in his drink because, as part of a marketing gimmick, he had eaten a miraculin berry and was unable to taste the sourness.

* There was a ''RemingtonSteele'' where the poison was in the glue on some envelopes Steele and Laura were expected to lick.
* A poisoned letter stamp in ''[[AceAttorney Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney]].'' Also upgraded to poisoned nail polish, because the intended victim ([[spoiler: a young girl named Vera Misham]]) had a tendency to bit her nails a lot.
* In ''{{Seinfeld}}'' George's fiancee is accidentally poisoned by the cheap glue on the wedding invitation envelopes, because George was too stingy to pay for better ones (and too lazy to seal any invitations himself).
* Not exactly lickable, but in the movie ''TheMechanic'', Arthur Bishop [[spoiler:is killed when Steve coats the inside of his wine glass with poison]].
* In the ''JonathanCreek'' episode "The House Of Monkeys" the victim was sent a request for a signed copy of his book. The murderer included a stamped addressed envelope to send the book in... stamped, addressed and poisoned with a psychotropic drug on the flap you lick.

* In ''{{Discworld}}'' [[{{Defictionalization}} stamp-collecting]], the original Assassins' Guild 3p stamp (the Thrupenny Dreadful), is very rare, at least gummed. The in-universe reason for this is that they were recalled due to unsubstantiated rumours that the Guild was using it to fulfill contracts.
* In ''RobinHobb'''s Assassin's Apprentice, one of Fitz-Chivalry's assassination ploys was to [[spoiler: poison the cutlery instead of the food.]]
* During the [[{{Belgariad}} Mallorean]] series, Sadi kills a man by coating the man's soup spoon with poison.

* Real-life example: While not highly toxic by itself, Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) has the property of being quickly and easily absorbed through skin contact, allowing easy contact absorption of whatever else happens to be mixed with it. This allows a deadly but hard to deliver poison to be easily ingested through the skin.

Poison and detective novels are one of the great romances in fiction. Writers of the genre are always looking for news ways to administer the deadly stuff, which gives us this trope: a murder method wherein poison is unwittingly self-administered when the victim licks an object coated in the poison.

* One of the cases in the fourth AceAttorney game involves [[spoiler: poisoned nail varnish.]]
** And [[spoiler: a poisoned stamp.]]

* A poisoned letter stamp in ''[[AceAttorney Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney]].'' Also upgraded to poisoned nail polish, because the intended victim had a tendency to bit her nails a lot.

* A poisoned letter stamp in ''[[AceAttorney Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney]].''

Most often a [[MysteryFiction mystery trope]], considering the murder angle. Modern examples of are probably inspired by the novel/film ''The Name of the Rose'', although one example is from the ''Arabian Nights'', [[OlderThanPrint making this...]]

* ''The Name of the Rose'': in an attempt to keep [[spoiler:{{Aristotle}}'s ''Poetics'']] hidden, an evil monk poisons the page corners so anyone who reads it will die before they can tell others about it.

* ''11th Hour'' used this one early in its first (only?) season.

* Classic example: in Alexandre Dumas' ''La Reine Margot'' (AKA ''Marguerite de Valois''), poisoned book is used in attempt on King Henry of Navarre's life, but the plan backfires with disastrous results. Earlier in the same novel, even more devious plan to poison Henry via his paramour's lipstick is employed [[spoiler: but thwarted by the would-be poisoner who couldn't murder said paramour in cold blood]].

* Not exactly lickable, but in the movie ''The Mechanic'', Arthur Bishop [[spoiler:is killed when Steve coats the inside of his wine glass with poison]].

* One ''Batman'' comic featured the Joker's venom being applied to postage stamps. [[spoiler: The twist being that the Joker didn't do it.]]

* In one episode of ''Benson'', a person with a habit of sucking on the earpiece of his reading glasses was killed by poison placed on the earpiece.