What do you call the bunch of hair you grow long on the back of your head?

Question

You see, it was quite fashionable for men to grow long hair on the back of their head back then in 1980s, 1990s, especially among singers and actors. I was watching an old show of David Copperfield conjuring up a trick and his hairstyle drew my attention.

I've searched to find what it's called in English, but I couldn't find a clue. I tried semi-finish hair, back hair, but it was useless. Please see this link which helps you to find out exactly what I'm looking for. How do you describe it in English? Something like

This man has a long back hair.

Or something!

Some business men even wore a mullet in the 80s, using a side part and shorter lengths on the top and sides, then pulling the longer hair back into a ponytail, or thinning it out across the back of the neck. http://www.stylisheve.com/1980s-hairstyles-for-men/ — , Sep 09 '16 at 22:36
Historical Note: A mullet was never, at any time in history, ever cool. It was [is] worn by people who simply didn't realise how bad it made them look. That is one reason why all the other nicknames for it listed below have negative connotations. — DoneWithThis., Sep 11 '16 at 11:07

score 32 · Accepted Answer · answered Sep 09 '16 at 22:32

32

I think you're describing a mullet:

The mullet is a hairstyle that is short at the front and sides and long in the back.

(Wikipedia)

answered Sep 09 '16 at 22:32

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Also known as "Business in the front; party in the back." :) – ColleenV Sep 09 '16 at 22:33

score 13 · Answer 2 · edited Sep 10 '16 at 17:11

I do think that you probably mean a mullet, though that generally refers to the whole hair style, and not just the hair in the back that is long. You would say that the person has a mullet, and you might say that his mullet was long or he chopped off his mullet, but you probably wouldn't say "the short hair in front was bleached blond but the mullet was black" to mean only the long hair was black.

There are some related terms:

If it is tied up in back it may be a ponytail.

If only some hair in the back is long, it may be a rat-tail (though I have not seen one in years).

Long hair may also be worn in a braid - again, the images are not necessarily perfectly representative.

Long hair worn loose is sometimes somewhat artistically described as being a "mane" -- the same term we use for the hair around a lion's head, or the long hair on the head or neck of another animal, such as a horse.

I saw someone with a rat tail in the world cup on Argentina's team. Here is a picture of it. — fyrepenguin, Sep 12 '16 at 01:21

score 5 · Answer 3 · answered Sep 10 '16 at 14:02

Here are some ways to describe that kind of hair:

This man's hair is long in the back.

This man has long hair on the back of his head.

The hair on the back of this man's head is long.

Do not say "back hair", because "back hair" means "the hair on a person's back".

DaFi4 · Answer 4 · 2020-11-19T10:40:51.360

2

Mullet. Dual Exhaust. The Kentucky Waterfall. The Lettuce. Salad (sometimes) For hockey fans, it is classified as "hockey hair" in many cultures. In Sweden the term for Mullet directly translates to "Hockey Frills". In Norwegian, "Hockey Style".

In German Vokuhila is an abbreviation for Short Front Long Back (Vorn kurz hinten lang), but in countries bordering Germany, the slang relates more to Germany and Football/Soccer. And while the French call it a Mulet, some publications claim it is classified as "coiffure de footballeur allemand" "German Soccer Hair"

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2016/03/09/hockey-hair-mn-glossary

http://modesektionen.dk/hockeyhaar-er-kulthaar.5357.html

https://kurier.at/sport/fussball/vokuhila-die-deutsche-frisur/790.201

edited Nov 19 '20 at 10:40

answered Sep 10 '16 at 07:01

DaFi4

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"The french call it "German Soccer Haircut"". Not to my knowledge. Mulet is the French term. ("Coupe de cheveux de joueur de football allemand" is a bit of a mouthful if you want to describe a hair style.) – njzk2 Sep 11 '16 at 05:24
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In Dutch it is a matje, or "small mat". – RemcoGerlich Sep 11 '16 at 10:09
@njzk2 that seems more accurate, yes – DaFi4 Sep 11 '16 at 15:21
Also Tennessee Top Hat. – Davo Jul 14 '17 at 12:04

score 1 · Answer 5 · answered Sep 10 '16 at 02:21

1

If it is platted or braided and and long it is called a pigtail basically a pigtail is a braided pony tail and a rat tail is a small pigtail

answered Sep 10 '16 at 02:21

user41512

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Interesting. I would use pigtail only for a bunch of hair on the side of the head, generally in pairs (i.e. pigtails). I might use it for a ponytail if it was particularly short and curly, like an actual pig's tail, but not for a braided ponytail. Maybe this is a dialect difference? (I'm from the Midwestern US) – 1006a Sep 10 '16 at 04:02
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@1006a: I concur with everything you said: pigtails means two (usually short) ties, one at each side. Halifax, Nova Scotia (east coast). Any of these other uses sound totally incorrect to me. Is there a part of the world where this is what it means? – Peter Cordes Sep 10 '16 at 11:08
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Context from both London, England and upstate New York -- I'm with the commenters. Pigtails are two ponytails on either side of your head. A braided ponytail is just a braid (or a plait). And a rat tail is a very thin braid coming from the nape of your neck, probably with the rest of your hair cut or shaved short. – Emmabee Sep 10 '16 at 14:59
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There's also a queue, but that's not what the OP is looking for. – delliottg Sep 11 '16 at 18:44

What do you call the bunch of hair you grow long on the back of your head?

5 Answers5