# What is a "Mullet"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 5, 2000, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mullet/35867 "2000-10-05T23:41:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![red\_dragon60](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ce73a5/32.png) [@red\_dragon60](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/red_dragon60)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2000, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mullet/35867/1 "2000-10-05T23:41:12Z")
I have seen the word on shirts at hottopic and various other places online. Anyone wanna fill me in? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2000, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mullet/35867/2 "2000-10-05T23:44:06Z")
The word came from _Cool Hand Luke_ IIRC but it’s commonly used to describe a haircut that’s long in the back and short in the front. More info can be found at [http://www.mulletsgalore.com/](http://www.mulletsgalore.com/) ---
**Author:** ![kiffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/d78d45/32.png) [@kiffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiffa)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2000, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mullet/35867/3 "2000-10-05T23:52:39Z")
It also a type of fish. I understand one of the best places to catch mullet is in the Ortega area in Jacksonville FL. ---
**Author:** ![Renton\_lvr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7feea3/32.png) [@Renton\_lvr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renton_lvr)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mullet/35867/4 "2000-10-06T00:05:56Z")
a.k.a. hockey hair ---
**Author:** ![Saltire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saltire/32/553_2.png) [@Saltire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saltire)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mullet/35867/5 "2000-10-06T00:14:46Z")
You probably heard of the hairstyle or the fish, but I always go to one of the more obscure definitions first. Mullet is the heraldic term for a star. You see it used in describing coats of arms. I looked at [dictionary.com](http://dictionary.com), and they have the fish and the heraldic definitions, but not the hairstyle. They do, however, mention an obsolete definition, “Small pinchers for curling the hair”. I expect the hairdo got its name from the fish, though. [http://www.dictionary.com/cgi-bin/dict.pl?term=mullet](http://www.dictionary.com/cgi-bin/dict.pl?term=mullet) ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mullet/35867/6 "2000-10-06T00:16:59Z")
Jesus had a mullet, you know. Look at all the pictures of him. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mullet/35867/7 "2000-10-06T00:52:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kiffa \* > \*\*It also a type of fish. I understand one of the best places to catch mullet is in the Ortega area in Jacksonville FL. \*\* We also used to find them in the sailboats moored at the marina at NAS Jax - them fishies like to jump and sometimes they jump into small boats… then they die… UGH! ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mullet/35867/8 "2000-10-06T01:19:00Z")
I thought it was when you crossed a manatee with a pullet… 😃 Cartooniverse ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mullet/35867/9 "2000-10-06T01:53:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cartooniverse \* > \*\* I thought it was when you crossed a manatee with a pullet… 😃 > > Cartooniverse \*\* No, no…that’s a _pullman._ ---
**Author:** ![Shatzi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Shatzi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shatzi)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mullet/35867/10 "2000-10-06T02:26:47Z")
Dude, just check out David Bowie in his golden years; diamond dogs/alladin sane days. The guy is the epidomy of the mullet. [http://www.teenagewildlife.com/Othermedia/Pictures/1974/hjack01.jpg](http://www.teenagewildlife.com/Othermedia/Pictures/1974/hjack01.jpg) Can’t say I find it quite as attractive as his new style, however 😉 ~Shatz ---
**Author:** ![Lance\_Turbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lance_turbo/32/6156_2.png) [@Lance\_Turbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lance_Turbo)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mullet/35867/11 "2000-10-06T05:15:50Z")
As was said earlier, a mullet is hairdo that is short on top and long in the back. I prefer to call it shlong hair. ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mullet/35867/12 "2000-10-06T07:51:59Z")
Richard Dean Anderson a.k.a McGyver was the epitomy of Mullet. Jesus did not have a mullet. his hair was long all over. The world’s greatest example of severe mullettude would have to be Jon bon Jovi, he pioneered the “Poodle Mullet” and was the envy of mullet wearers everywhere. [http://www.mulletsgalore.com](http://www.mulletsgalore.com) is a great site. make sure you check out the porno mullet site. hehehehe ---
**Author:** ![Badtz\_Maru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e36b37/32.png) [@Badtz\_Maru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badtz_Maru)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mullet/35867/13 "2000-10-06T11:02:40Z")
> [@](#): > > Jesus had a mullet, you know. Look at all the pictures of him. I read somewhere that it was pretty unlikely that Jesus would have the long hair depicted in all the paintings, that the most likely haircut for a Jewish man in that era was a kind of ‘bowl’ haircut with sideburns. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mullet/35867/14 "2000-10-06T11:07:24Z")
Wow, Jesus looked like Liam Gallagher? ---
**Author:** ![TwistofFate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cdc98d/32.png) [@TwistofFate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TwistofFate)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2000, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mullet/35867/15 "2000-10-06T12:02:48Z")
In that case jesus looked like John Lennon. Maybe the Beatles were bigger than Jesus after all. ---
**Author:** ![Dijon\_Warlock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9a28c/32.png) [@Dijon\_Warlock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dijon_Warlock)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2000, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mullet/35867/16 "2000-10-12T01:02:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Badtz Maru \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > Jesus had a mullet, you know. Look at all the pictures of him. > > I read somewhere that it was pretty unlikely that Jesus would have the long hair depicted in all the paintings, that the most likely haircut for a Jewish man in that era was a kind of ‘bowl’ haircut with sideburns. > \*\* But…but…that would mean that the Shroud of Turin is a _fake!_ :eek: ---
**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2000, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mullet/35867/17 "2000-10-16T13:15:47Z")
That mulletsgalore site which has been referenced a couple times has an [entymology page](http://mulletsgalore2.aka.com/html/voc.html), that says that the term comes from a line in Cool Hand Luke “where one of the guys calls people with long, shaggy hair ‘Mulletheads.’” ---
**Author:** ![Ivar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/51bf81/32.png) [@Ivar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ivar)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2000, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-mullet/35867/18 "2000-10-16T16:23:17Z")
I think that’s etymology, not the study of insects.