Snogging: An Introduction

Kissy kissy.

Making out. Necking. Tonsil hockey. Yes, there are many names for that special time of kissing and cuddling. But there's one you may not have heard, because it comes from the other side of the pond. It's called snogging, and all the kids are doing it.

In the picture above, Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer were kind enough to demonstrate the act of snogging for us, even though by now they reportedly hate each other.

As you can see, or as Urban Dictionary defines it, snogging is the act of "making out with all the trimmings." It's mostly a British term for heavy petting, but with the firestorm created by the latest Harry Potter film, The Half-Blood Prince, Americans are suddenly fascinated with the word.

Apparently that's because there's a whole lotta snogging in the new Harry Potter movie, what with all the teenagers and hormones and tight-fitting wizardry clothing.

So now when you see some pals making out, you know what to call it. Or, if someone uses it incorrectly and asks if you just snogged your grandmother, you can be appropriately grossed out.