A swazzle is a device made of two strips of metal bound around a cotton tape reed. The device is used to produce the distinctive harsh, rasping voice of Punch and is held in the mouth by the Professor (performer) in a Punch and Judy

Punch and Judy

Punch and Judy is a traditional, popular puppet show featuring the characters of Mr. Punch and his wife, Judy. The performance consists of a sequence of short scenes, each depicting an interaction between two characters, most typically the anarchic Punch and one other character...

 show.

Swazzle can also be pronounced or spelled Schwazzle or swatchel.

Proper use

The swazzle is positioned between the tongue

Tongue

The tongue is a muscular hydrostat on the floors of the mouths of most vertebrates which manipulates food for mastication. It is the primary organ of taste , as much of the upper surface of the tongue is covered in papillae and taste buds. It is sensitive and kept moist by saliva, and is richly...

 and the roof of the mouth

Palate

The palate is the roof of the mouth in humans and other mammals. It separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavity. A similar structure is found in crocodilians, but, in most other tetrapods, the oral and nasal cavities are not truly separate. The palate is divided into two parts, the anterior...

 so that expired air passes between the two metal strips, causing the reed to vibrate. Deft movements of the tongue allow the Professor to move the swazzle in and out of position, allowing him to switch between voices. The swazzle must be soaked in beer

Beer

Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...

, water

Water

Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...

 or saliva

Saliva

Saliva , referred to in various contexts as spit, spittle, drivel, drool, or slobber, is the watery substance produced in the mouths of humans and most other animals. Saliva is a component of oral fluid. In mammals, saliva is produced in and secreted from the three pairs of major salivary glands,...

 before use.

Swallowing

Because the swazzle is small, positioned in the back of the mouth and must be repeatedly moved during a performance, there is a risk that it may be swallowed while in use. In order to minimise the risk of swallowing, some Professors attach a length of cotton thread to their swazzle so that it can be pulled back if it slips into the throat. It is traditionally said that no Punch and Judy performer can consider himself a Professor until he has swallowed his swazzle at least twice.

History

The design of the swazzle was once a secret guarded by the Professors and only taught to those with a genuine respect for and interest in learning the performance of Punch and Judy puppetry. The device can now be bought from joke and magic

Magic (illusion)

Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...

 shops although those made according to the traditional design are smaller and are generally considered superior.

Cultural references

• The 1937 short comedy The Wrong Miss Wright starring Charley Chase
  Charley Chase
  Charley Chase was an American comedian, actor, screenwriter and film director, best known for his work in Hal Roach short film comedies...
  
   features the comedian using a swazzle as part of an effort to feign insanity so as to get out of an arranged marriage. During the course of the film, Chase manages to get much comic mileage out of the use of a swazzle and at one point accidentally swallows it.
• A discussion of the proper use of a swazzle is given towards the end of Neil Gaiman
  Neil Gaiman
  Neil Richard Gaiman born 10 November 1960)is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theatre and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Stardust, American Gods, Coraline, and The Graveyard Book...
  
   and Dave McKean
  Dave McKean
  David McKean is an English illustrator, photographer, comic book artist, graphic designer, filmmaker and musician....
  
  's The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch
  The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch
  The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch or simply Mr. Punch is a graphic novel written by Neil Gaiman, illustrated and designed by Dave McKean...
  
  ; throughout the story, a mysterious figure known as "Swatchell" works as the Professor in a Punch and Judy show where the narrator is staying with his grandparents.
• The swazzle is described in John Varley
  John Varley (author)
  John Herbert Varley is an American science fiction author.-Biography:Varley grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, moved to Port Arthur in 1957, and graduated from Nederland High School. He went to Michigan State University on a National Merit Scholarship because, of the schools that he could afford, it...
  
  's The Golden Globe
  The Golden Globe
  The Golden Globe is a Locus nominated novel by John Varley, a science fiction writer who has won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards multiple times...
  
  . It is used by the protagonist, Valentine, in performing Punch and Judy shows.
• The construction of a swazzle is described and its use explained in Russell Hoban
  Russell Hoban
  Russell Conwell Hoban is an American writer, now living in England, of fantasy, science fiction, mainstream fiction, magic realism, poetry, and children's books-Biography:...
  
  's novel Riddley Walker
  Riddley Walker
  Riddley Walker is a science fiction novel by Russell Hoban, first published in 1980. It won the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for best science fiction novel in 1982, as well as an Australian Science Fiction Achievement Award in 1983...
  
  .