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Comprehensive-Ad4815 t1_itusqg8 wrote

Reply to comment by Jsf8957 in TIL Tobacco smoke enemas were used in an attempt to resuscitate victims of near drowning. by sTroPkIN

Sure it fell out of style because it wasn't working. Thus the term. Not many other reasons to blow smoke up someone's ass

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Jsf8957 t1_itvsv20 wrote

Point is there is no (proven) link between the practice of enemas and this phrase. The phrase popped up in the 1960s with no apparent references to the old “medical” practice. People connected the dots and claimed that it was the origin of the phrase, but there’s no evidence for it beyond the fact that it seems to fit. It’s probably an example of false etymology.

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