Uh, sorry, open mike, but the epiglottis is the flaplike structure that swings down to cover the glottis when you swallow. You can't usually see it without a laryngoscope, though I sometimes do in small children who can open their mouths very wide.

You may remember the Gary Larson cartoon, showing somebody looking at a test paper that said "Medical School Final Exam, Extra Credit Question: What do you call that thing that hangs down in the back of your throat?"

The answer is: the uvula. It means "little grape."

Aloha,
Mark