Together, they perform what's called peristalsis, which is a series of coordinated wave-like muscle contractions that helps squeeze the food bolus in one direction.
The resulting ball of mush actually has its own special name — it's a bolus and the tongue rolls it back to the pharynx, in preparation for swallowing.
The bolus is then moved by peristalsis through the esophagus and into the stomach, where hydrochloric acid is secreted and pepsin begins the digestion process.
The bolus is broken down with the help of three major pairs of salivary glands that churn out an average of 1.5 liters of slightly acidic saliva every day.
Now, the esophagus has a particularly thick muscularis externa that propels the bolus of food down to the esophageal sphincter , which opens, allowing the bolus to pass into the stomach.
Now Hamper first gi'es me a box on my ear, and then he throws his big bolus at me, and says he reckons it'll do me no good, I'm such a fool, but there it is'.