To ask why a man may have a single long fingernail?

[parentsonthenet]

Is there a thing to do with having a single long fingernail as a man?

I just caught a glimpse and didn't want to stare but looked like all nails cut down except from nail on little finger.

It was disproportionately long compared to the cut ones too so not like it had just grown quicker than the others.

Grossed me out what is this?

@PinkFizz1

It’s guitar playing. My family member owns a nail salon and has a couple of men coming in for an extension putting on their pinkies only, for this reason (think acrylic/gel tip).

“Can you sniff give me one sniff one long nail on my sniff my pinky? Yeah, just one. sniff It’s, umm, for, umm, sniff…it’s for playing guitar. Yeah, yeah - that’s it! I’m like totally into playing guitar. sniff Like Eric Clapton, yeah! Exactly!”

Guitar picking

It’s a thing amongst Greek men as well

In some Asian countries it's to signify that you don't do manual jobs. Like a status symbol thing.

If it's the little finger, it'll be coke. Guitarist would have more than one long nail.

My grandpa had this. He said it was to open the post. I'm now thinking he was a secret guitar playing coke head! He lived to be 94 so whatever it was for it did him well.

@OneTC

He's white british.

Coke spoon

Surely not. Why would somebody 'respected' and quite well to do in various circles advertise this so openly. He really doesn't strike me as the type and I'll be shocked if this is. But judging based purely on these replies it's the most likely explanation.

@parentsonthenet you'll be surprised how many 'well respected' people do drugs

Could be an ear scoop, OP? I saw this in Hong Kong and was told that's what it was for. It's a cultural thing. I would hate it in a family member!

DS is a guitarist and his nails are trimmed conventionally, but he does use a plectrum.

Coke was definitely my first thought too.

I meant to quote @WalkingOnTheCracks there...

DH has one long nail. It's for guitar -- pretty sure a massive coke habit is out of our budget!

Coke was my first thought. Never heard it for guitar playing?!

@CheddarGorgeous

Bowls players do this as well apparently.

What the hell, bowls players are coke heads?! They're dark horses aren't they! 😉😆

Is he a lemur?
Aye-ayes have one long thin finger for poking grubs out of rotten timber

😆 @Ihaventgottimeforthis

Easier to roll a spliff

In Portugal used to be to pick wax off your ear 🤮

as some married to a guitar player you dont have a long nail for that... coke is the logical assumption.

That said, I don't have time to faff with my nails (no manicures and paint jobs for me, not really much point when I spend my days up to my elbows in shitty nappies) and they are just as they naturally grow.

My thumb side is pointy, my pinky side is squared and the others very form a gradient from point to squared as they go along, and sometimes my pinky is longer than the others as I don't use it for anything so it doesn't snap as often.

Maybe people think I'm a mad coke fiend but honestly they likely just think I'm a bit scruffy for not conforming to the expected feminine wiles.

Not necessarily a drug thing! I had a male work colleague from India who had one, it was an upper caste status symbol.

@WalkingOnTheCracks haha! In fairness, they are nearly 70 and good friends with my parents so pretty sure it’s a legit reason. One of them plays a banjo, the other a guitar. They don’t know each other so no reason for them both to come up with the instrument playing excuse to disguise their Coke
Habit 😂

Until you said white British, I assumed he was Asian. In some countries it is seen as a sign of prosperity. I saw a lot of men with it in Thailand, could be the same in other Asian countries.

No idea now though. As others have said maybe guitar. Or maybe he lived in Asia where it was a common thing to do and decided to keep it going.

I remember Sarah Millican saying her husband kept one of his toenails long for scratching the eczema on his other foot.

@KarenTheGammonRemoaner you’re very welcome

When I was a teenager I worked in a book warehouse and there was a man there who had 1 long fingernail. He said he used it to open the plastic packaging on the packs of books.

Whatever it is it made me think 'yuk'

Lol OP most of the coke users I’ve met are successful middle class people. I don’t think him being ‘respected and well to do’ is a barrier to a coke habit