A 64-year-old woman is recovering after mistaking superglue for cold sore cream and sealing her mouth shut.
The stricken woman made an emergency call in the dead of night and had to direct an ambulance to her home through a series of grunts and taps.
Police were also sent to the New Zealand address amid concerns the woman had been gagged and was being held captive.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the pensioner told New Zealand’s 3 News: “I couldn’t speak on the phone so I couldn’t tell them where I lived, I couldn’t tell them my phone number.
“The communication was ‘Do you live in Dunedin?’ and I grunted ‘mmm,’ and then the lady went through all the surburbs and then all the streets, she was very, very patient.
“I had to tap on the phone, one tap for no and two taps for yes, and then I took a long time to narrow down the streets and then all the numbers too.”
The woman was treated in hospital and has since been released.
"It was an extremely frightening event for her because her breathing was impeded," Senior Sergeant Steve Aitken told New Zealand's Stuff magazine.
He added: "I've heard of a few other things super-glued, but never lips. You wouldn't have wanted to have had a blocked nose."