Husband: (poking dick against cosmetic mirror)
Husband: Look honey! It's kissing its reflection.
Wife: Urg! Stop molesting my mirror!
Husband: I'm not. 5-second rule! See. Smooch, one second. Smooch, one second. Smooch, one second...
Wife: (leaves to buy a new mirror)
An unwritten law dictating that if a food or other consumable item is dropped onto the floor, it may be picked up up and eaten within five seconds. The reasoning behind this is that dirt and germs take six seconds to transfer from one surface to another.
The rule by which one determines whether or not food is safe after falling onto the floor. That is, if you are able to retrieve said item within 5 seconds, it is not dirty and is safe to eat.
* Note: in fraternity houses, this rule is the 1.5 second rule. Rule is invalid in the restroom.
Person 1: Oh no, my chicken wing fell on the floor!
Person 2: 5 ... 4 ... 3 ... 2 ...
Person 1: Got it!
Person 2: 5-second rule. It's yours, dude.
Rule invoked whenever dropped food is picked up and consumed in the presence of others. Time can vary widely depending on the type of food dropped: a sirloin steak at a barbecue may have nine lives, while a street vendor hotdog is declared unfit for consumption even before it touches the ground.
A rule describing the amount of time that a magical force field surrounds a dropped piece of food, after which the force field drops and the food can become dirty and not edible