{{Short description|Pain-inducing prank}} {{Redirect|Chinese burn|the song by ''Curve''|Chinese Burn (song)|the song by Heavy Stereo|Chinese Burn (Heavy Stereo song)}} {{Unreliable sources|date=July 2022}} thumb|An Indian burn An '''Indian burn''' or '''Chinese burn''' is a pain-inducing prank in which the prankster grabs onto the victim's forearm or wrist with two hands and twists the skin in opposite directions. This motion causes several sensations at once on the epidermis, including shear stress, abrasion, and heat from friction. The nerve endings of the forearm are pulled and stretched, which causes the immediate pain one feels while receiving the prank.<ref name="Wordhistories.net">{{cite web|last=Tréguer|first=Pascal|title='Indian Burn': Meaning and Origin|website=Wordhistories.net|publisher=|date=23 October 2020|url=https://wordhistories.net/2020/10/23/indian-burn/|access-date=17 June 2021}}</ref> It is popular in British school settings.'''<ref name="BBC.com">{{cite web|last=|first=|title=Adults recall 'nasty playground pranks'|website=BBC.com|publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation|date=9 August 2013|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/education-23620273|access-date=18 July 2021}}</ref>'''
==Terminology== The prank is known by way of several names in English, depending on the region: in the United States, it may be referred to as '''Indian sunburn'''<ref name="BBRSD.org">{{cite web|last=|first=|title=Framing & Building Basics - Torsion|website=BBRSD.org|publisher=Berlin-Boylston Regional School District|date=|url=https://www.bbrsd.org/cms/lib/MA01907488/Centricity/Domain/250/Framing%20and%20Building%20Basics.pdf|access-date=19 July 2021}}</ref> or '''Indian rug burn''',<ref name="USC.edu">{{cite web|last=Hornblower|first=Andrew|title=Bullying Technique – Indian Rug Burn|website=USC.edu|publisher=University of Southern California|date=27 April 2012|url=http://folklore.usc.edu/bullying-technique-indian-rug-burn/|access-date=18 July 2021}}</ref> as well as '''Chinese wrist-burn''',<ref name="CartoonStock.com">{{cite web|last=Bryant|first=Adey|title=Indian Burn cartoons and comics|website=CartoonStock.com|publisher=CartoonStock Ltd.|date=12 August 2003|url=https://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/i/indian_burn.asp|access-date=17 June 2021}}</ref> and as the '''snake bite''';<ref name="PlaygroundJungle.com">{{cite web|last=Selzer|first=Adam|title=Snake Bites and Indian Burns|website=PlaygroundJungle.com|publisher=|date=27 February 2011|url=http://playgroundjungle.com/2011/02/snake-bites-and-indian-burns.html|access-date=17 June 2021}}</ref> in countries such as the United Kingdom and Australia, it is known as a '''Chinese burn'''.<ref name="BBC.com" />
In Mexico it is known as an {{lang|es|enchilada}}, which is related to chili and means "affected by hot chili",{{Citation needed|date=October 2025|reason=or the food?}} in Swedish it is called {{lang|sv|tusen nålar}} "a thousand needles" and in Afrikaans it is called {{lang|af|donkie byt}} "donkey bite".
Some Native Americans resent the usage of "Indian burn", preferring the other aforementioned English terms.<ref name="nytimes_1996-11-10">{{cite web|last=Safire|first=William|title=Take the DARE|website=The New York Times|date=10 November 1996|url=http://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/10/magazine/take-the-dare.html|access-date=17 May 2025|archive-date=11 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111131320/http://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/10/magazine/take-the-dare.html|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref>
==Variation== In a variation of the prank, a yarn is rubbed against the skin to create friction, in a manner similar to starting a fire with a stick.<ref name="PlaygroundJungle.com" />
==Statistics== According to a poll of 1,844 adults carried out in the United Kingdom in 2013, 27% recalled receiving Indian burns during secondary school years.<ref name="BBC.com" /><!-- source uses British terminology, but we should be consistent within the article -->
== See also == * List of practical joke topics ** Wedgie * Shear force
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Comedy-stub}} Category:Abuse Category:Harassment and bullying Category:Pain Category:Practical jokes Category:Suffering Category:Native American topics