Editing Gag

{{short description|Device designed to prevent speech}}
{{other uses}}
{{Multiple issues|
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[[File:Gag-tapegag-lorelei-15610.jpg|thumb|A woman gagged by [[duct tape]]]]

A '''gag''' is usually an item or device designed to prevent [[speech]], often as a restraint device to stop the subject from calling for help and keep its wearer silent. This is usually done by blocking the [[Human mouth|mouth]], partially or completely, or attempting to prevent the [[tongue]], [[lip]]s, or [[jaw]] from moving in the normal patterns of speech. The more "effective" a gag appears to be, the more hazardous it is. For example [[duct tape]] is a fairly effective method of keeping a person's mouth shut but can be hazardous if the subject cannot breathe freely through the nose (for example if they have the [[common cold]]). For this reason, a gagged person should never be left alone.

The use of gags is commonly depicted in [[soap opera]]s and [[crime fiction]], particularly in [[comics]], [[novel]]s and films.

Courts have been known to gag certain people, such as the civil rights activist [[Bobby Seale]]. This practice has been criticized as inhumane.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1969/10/30/archives/seale-put-in-chains-at-chicago-8-trial-judge-has-seale-chained-and.html |title = Seale Put in Chains At Chicago 8 Trial; Judge Has Seale Chained and Gagged at Trial of the Chicago 8|last = Lukas|first = J.|date = October 30, 1969|newspaper = [[The New York Times]] |issn = 0362-4331|access-date = 16 March 2020}}</ref><ref>https://digitalcommons.law.seattleu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2287{{deadlink|date=October 2021}}</ref>

==Types of gags==
{{See also|Gag (BDSM)#Types of gag}}
[[File:Gag-overthemouth-lorelei-kibf903.jpg|thumb|A woman with a stereotypical detective gag]]

One type of gag familiar in fiction, particularly in crime [[comics]] and [[novels]], is a suitably sized piece of cloth pulled over the subject's mouth and tied at the back of their head. It is sometimes called the "detective gag" because many of its first appearances were in crime serials.

Sometimes a gag is pushed back between the victim's front teeth into the mouth, or with a hard ball in its middle or reinforced by pushing small cloth items into the mouth. This is common [[gag (BDSM)|in BDSM]], but in practice these sorts of gag can usually be dislodged by working the jaws about and/or pushing with the tongue, and they often do not stop the victim from making a loud inarticulate noise to call for help.

Often adhesive tapes are used for improvised gags. A tape gag can cause the skin on the lips to be damaged in its removal or the adhesive can cause chemical burns or reactions.

==Other uses of the word==
The word "gag" has come to have various extended meanings, for example:
* Various sorts of laws and orders preventing or stopping discussion or revealing of information, e.g., a parliamentary procedure to end a debate. See [[gag order]].
* A [[gag rule]] can be a part of court proceedings and congressional proceedings. 
* [[Gag (medical device)]], to keep the mouth open
* A [[gag bit]] is a special bit type used with horses.

==In symbolism==
* Sometimes in [[political cartoon]]s, a character is shown gagged to represent that in the real world some law or rule or order is preventing him/her from speaking about some matter (see [[gag order]]).{{cn|date=December 2020}}
* A gag that is specifically two stripes of red tape as an X is often used to represent [[censorship]].{{cn|date=December 2020}}

== See also ==
* [[Gag (BDSM)]], gags used for sexual purposes
* [[Mouth taping]], sleeping with the lips taped shut
* [[Muzzle (device)|Muzzle]], devices to prevent animals from biting

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Physical restraint]]
[[Category:Silence]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]