By "fully" I mean what is ordinary—there are also extraordinary extremes in both directions. Which suggests: What's the typical ratio of "shrinkage" flaccidity to ordinary flaccidity?

Do these ratios change as men age? Is there an intermediate degree of tumescence, perhaps representing a typical semi-aroused state?

"Tumescence" is one of my most favorite underutilized words.

Isn't "Tumescence" the name of that group that did that annoying "Bring Me to Life" song?

It taint?

I always have just one, whether flaccid or otherwise.

typical semi-aroused state

you mean when it's big enough to be noticeable through one's trousers but not enough to be of any use to anyone?

This reminds me of one of my favorite terms coined by Adam Corolla on Loveline. It's "gym dick" - a penis that has a low ratio of flaccid size to erect size. A man with a good gym dick may impress in the locker room, but the truth is hidden.

low ratio of flaccid size to erect size

Whoops, I meant a high ratio, of course.

Makes you wonder what Archimedes was doing in that bathtub, huh?

I was astounded one year to find out that "flaccid" is properly pronounced "flak-cid" and not "flassid." Huh.

gah! i don't know how to answer this question! which answer makes my own penis seem gigantic?!

i'm gonna go lift weights.

Actually, both pronunciations are allowed, though flăs'ĭd is the more common in my experience.

i'm gonna go lift weights.

With your penis? Wow.

i read there are distinct different "types" of penises. some are large when flaccid and usually no larger than normal when erect, and others are small when flaccid and yet no smaller than usual when erect.

mine is smaller when flaccid but, i think, at least a little above average when erect.

when i was VERY young i remember reading about this in a medical book and thinking that my sort of penis was better, because it was less likely to be chopped off in battle ( a smaller target.) then i wondered why the hell i thought that! then later i read about the gaels and picts and such going into battle naked.

my life has been full of what seems like memories of a past life. my first dream i remember was of walking on cobblestone streets, drinking ale in a pub made of rough-hewn beams, being a full 6' tall and about 200# and a little drunk. it was VIVID. i don't know how i knew what it felt like to be that person in that place when i was about 3 yrs old and had no remote idea what cobblestones even were.

well... whatever.

of course, the advantage to the guys who are large when flaccid is that women probably think they're even larger than average when erect... but i've read this is not the case.

The thing is, shane, if the first time we see that guy's penis it's flaccid? There's a problem right there.

The thing is, shane, if the first time we see that guy's penis it's flaccid? There's a problem right there.

Yup! You'd never guess that my thingy, which is George Costanza tiny when it's cold (remember that hilarious episode?), is at least eight times longer when really excited.

Don't judge a ____ by its ____.

(Okay, I can't think of anything witty to fill in the old book/cover cliche.)

hmm. just spoke to an old friend. i might be average. that's depressing as hell. i always thought i was slightly above. then again, maybe i'm average amongst the guys she has known. i could swear i've been above average in other relationships.

WHY DO WE THINK ABOUT THESE THINGS!?
;-)

seriously, though, it's all a comic subject, isn't it?

In the pages of this gallery we display photos in pairs that show the penis while it is flaccid (soft) and while it is erect (hard).

I don't know how you guys walk around with those things.

ikkyu2, that is one of the most useful pages the Internet has to offer. My gut feeling, based on a fairly racy set of high school and college years is that it's about 2:5. This can go 1:5 if the guy is getting out of the pool, and 3:5 if the guy is getting out of the sauna. That in-between thing we always called a chubby and it's usually got most of the size but none of the direction. Also JanetLand, both pronunciations are correct.

re: ikkyu's link:

How do some of those guys pee? There's nothing there at all to hold on to. Do they have to get a chubby before they unzip?

I am completely fascinated by ikkyu2's link.