But opposition MPs on the committee seemed sceptical of the deputy prime minister's new approach, Labour's Graham Allen suggesting Mr Clegg should be bolder and the government should be able to "walk and chew gum at the same time".

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"So it wasn't like I couldn't walk and chew gum at the same time, " he joked.

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FIT's Ms. Payton-Jones instructs students not to chew gum on the job or stand with their arms crossed because it makes them seem unapproachable.

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Several years ago, Wrigley and The Princeton Review surveyed American and Canadian college students about their study habits and found that of the students who chew gum while studying for exams, 41% do so to combat stress while 23% do so to increase concentration.

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But the ability to turn that switch on and off perfectly for others is a little like being able to walk a tightrope, chew gum, talk on the phone and solve a math problem at the same time.

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The authorities are not yet ready to allow Singaporeans complete freedom to chew gum either: they have lifted a ban on imports, but only of the sugar-free sort, only to be sold in pharmacies and only to purchasers who register with the pharmacist first.

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Sometimes it feels like we walk and chew gum and juggle on a unicycle all at the same time.

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Teresa Jones, research manager at the hospital said orthopaedic patients would be asked to chew gum for 30 minutes, four or five times a day, following surgery until they are discharged.

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One trick I suggest to patients if they find it difficult to stop after one serving is to chew a piece of mint or cinnamon gum after eating tempting foods to get the taste out of their mouth or make subsequent servings less tasty.

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