The host takes the dime, shows it to the players and announces that he can make it stick tightly to anyone’s forehead. He then selects several volunteers to prove his statement. The leader, holding the dime with his thumb and forefinger, dips it into a glass of water and presses it firmly with his thumb against the forehead of one of the players. The water causes the dime to sick momentarily, but a few shakes of the head soon dislodge it. The leader pretends to be surprised and tries again with another player. The result, of course, is the same. The leader may try again with another player or two before coming to the player whom he has selected for the practical joke. “Now I know what I was doing wrong,” the leader says, “and this time I guarantee the dime will not fall off.” Again, he dips the dime into the water and presses it against the player’s forehead. This time he keeps a bit of his fingernail underneath the edge of the dime. When the leader takes away his thumb, he also removes the dime. The victim, unaware of this, shakes his head as the other players have done. When nothing happens, he shakes his head harder and harder until the laughter tells him that the joke- not the dime- is on him.
