# hair on lower lip? What does one call it? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 22, 2002, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-on-lower-lip-what-does-one-call-it/138250 "2002-11-22T22:11:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![makaii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@makaii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/makaii)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-on-lower-lip-what-does-one-call-it/138250/1 "2002-11-22T22:11:36Z")
My wandering mind has wondered for some time, and I’ve asked several people but no one yet has had an answer to: What does one call the little tuft of hair that some men grow on their lower lips. I know that hair above the lips is called a mustache and hair on the chin is obviously a goatee. When they don’t shave any where on the face , what grows is called a beard. Sideburns belong below and in front of the ear, but now that so many young guys are wearing pierced eye brows, nose rings and shave except for that little tuft in the middle of their lower lip; What would that little tuft be called, if one were writing and describing one of these guys walking down the street?? ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-on-lower-lip-what-does-one-call-it/138250/2 "2002-11-22T22:14:07Z")
Soul patch. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-on-lower-lip-what-does-one-call-it/138250/3 "2002-11-22T22:16:29Z")
Bingo. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-on-lower-lip-what-does-one-call-it/138250/4 "2002-11-22T22:18:13Z")
[Visual aid](http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jec3/FacialHair/FacialHair.htm#ChinWhiskers). ---
**Author:** ![Ol\_Gaffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Ol\_Gaffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ol_Gaffer)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-on-lower-lip-what-does-one-call-it/138250/5 "2002-11-22T22:19:44Z")
Flavor saver (or savor). ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-on-lower-lip-what-does-one-call-it/138250/6 "2002-11-22T22:19:50Z")
Followup question for 20 pts: Anybody know a good putdown term for soul patches. (These guys look like idiots and “soul patch” is just too dignified.) ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-on-lower-lip-what-does-one-call-it/138250/7 "2002-11-22T22:23:20Z")
Also: Jazz Spot Honey Mop ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-on-lower-lip-what-does-one-call-it/138250/8 "2002-11-22T22:30:06Z")
I call it a Zappa, after the man who wore one long before any of those guys did. Other kinds of facial hair are called sideburns (after Burnside,) Van Dyke, Fu Manchu, and Pancho Villa. Why not Zappa? ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-on-lower-lip-what-does-one-call-it/138250/9 "2002-11-22T22:33:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ftg \* > Anybody know a good putdown term for soul patches. (These guys look like idiots and “soul patch” is just too dignified.) How about “Zappa”? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![makaii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@makaii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/makaii)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-on-lower-lip-what-does-one-call-it/138250/10 "2002-11-22T22:34:12Z")
I think soul patch sounds perfectly reasonable, but Zappa sounds even better. I never expected to get so many answers in the “blink of an eye” muchas gracias to ya’ll ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Carnage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/max_carnage/32/12775_2.png) [@Max\_Carnage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Carnage)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2002, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-on-lower-lip-what-does-one-call-it/138250/11 "2002-11-22T22:58:40Z")
Actually, I call mine Joe. ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-on-lower-lip-what-does-one-call-it/138250/12 "2002-11-25T01:44:43Z")
Muffin duster? ---
**Author:** ![IcicleFuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ba8739/32.png) [@IcicleFuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IcicleFuzz)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-on-lower-lip-what-does-one-call-it/138250/13 "2002-11-25T02:10:24Z")
Jazz Tuft? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-on-lower-lip-what-does-one-call-it/138250/14 "2002-11-25T02:19:13Z")
Nasty. Just 'cause you can, boys, doesn’t mean you should. ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-on-lower-lip-what-does-one-call-it/138250/15 "2002-11-25T02:51:39Z")
That is called a _mouche_ in my experience. I think that dates from 20’s Jazz jargon, but I’m about to go off Googling to back that up. See ya in a bit… ---
**Author:** ![Cholo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58f4c7/32.png) [@Cholo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cholo)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-on-lower-lip-what-does-one-call-it/138250/16 "2002-11-25T04:05:44Z")
I’ve always called it a “Love Brush”. ---
**Author:** ![non-native](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc8723/32.png) [@non-native](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/non-native)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-on-lower-lip-what-does-one-call-it/138250/17 "2002-11-25T05:48:18Z")
I call them "missed-a-spot"s. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-on-lower-lip-what-does-one-call-it/138250/18 "2002-11-25T17:28:43Z")
Re: Putdown terms for “soul patch”. “Zappa” has positive connotations (to me) and most of the others are not, um, suitable for someone such as myself to use. Oh well. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2002, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-on-lower-lip-what-does-one-call-it/138250/19 "2002-11-25T23:21:01Z")
I was just funnin’ you (and **AskNott** ) a little, there, **ftg**. No offense intended. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2002, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-on-lower-lip-what-does-one-call-it/138250/20 "2002-11-27T03:08:31Z")
In the 19th century it was called an _imperiale_. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hair-on-lower-lip-what-does-one-call-it/138250.md?page=2)