• Dictionary
  • Thesaurus
  • Grammar
    • Grammar A-Z
    • Spelling
    • Punctuation
    • Writing help
    • Usage
  • Explore
    • Word origins
    • Language questions
    • Word lists
  • Word of the Year
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google Plus
  • Instagram
OxfordWords blogOxfordWords blog
We use cookies to enhance your experience on our website. By continuing to use our website, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time.ContinueFind out more
Video: how many is a billion? Isra, Umar, and Yasmin: the meanings behind Arabic names

Home > OED appeals: can you help us find earlier evidence of the word ‘mullet’?

OED appeals: can you help us find earlier evidence of the word ‘mullet’?

oed appeals

Can you help us? OED Appeals is a dedicated community space on the OED website where OED editors solicit help in unearthing new information about the history and usage of English.

Part of the process of revising words and phrases for the OED involves searching for evidence of a word’s first recorded use in English, and for this we need your help.

Can you find earlier examples of usage of the following word? Visit the OED Appeals page to find out more, and to submit any antedating evidence.

 

The OED defines mullet as ‘A hairstyle, worn esp. by men, in which the hair is cut short at the front and sides, and left long at the back.’ It was certainly popularized, if not coined, by the hip-hop group the Beastie Boys, whose song ‘Mullet Head’ is the first known use of the term:

You wanna know what’s a mullet? Well I got a little story to tell About a hair style, that’s way of life.
1994 Beastie Boys Mullet Head (song)

It is often claimed that the term derives from mullet-head, a colloquial reference to a stupid person. But a 1995 article in Grand Royal, a magazine published by the Beastie Boys, proposes several other, largely humorous origins, including a relationship with the mullet fish.

Can you help find an earlier example of mullet? Or any proof that it truly was coined by the Beasties?

Listen to a podcast about investigating the origin of mullet on the OUP blog.

  • The opinions and other information contained in OxfordWords blog posts and comments do not necessarily reflect the opinions or positions of Oxford University Press.
  • Author
    Oxford Dictionaries

  • Published

    June 4 / 2015

  • Categories
    • OED Appeals
  • Tags

    Beastie Boys, hair, lexicography, mullet, OED, OED Appeal, popular

Related posts

OED appeals: can you help us find earlier evidence of the term ‘jolly hockey sticks’?

Can you help us? OED Appeals is a dedicated community space on the OED ...

more

Cult films in the OED

Cult films are slippery customers. One person’s cult film is another’s ...

more

Comments

Categories
  • Competitions and quizzes (170)
  • Dictionaries and lexicography (318)
  • English in use (709)
  • Grammar and writing help (149)
  • Interactive features (31)
  • OED Appeals (24)
  • Other languages (152)
  • Varieties of English (61)
  • Word origins (353)
  • Word trends and new words (229)

Trending

Which Arabic should you learn?

Can or could? In the noun form of 'can', it's pretty obvious.

Can or could?

ballroom chandelier

When words die from overuse

Opinions are divided on the subject of ‘trigger warnings’—statements cautioning you that what you’re about to read, watch, or listen to might cause emotional or psychological distress.

You have been warned: the debate on trigger warnings

Quiz: British phrases to confuse Americans

  • About
  • Contact us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Legal Notice
  • Cookie Policy
  • Help

© 2018 Oxford University Press

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google Plus
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Dictionary
  • Thesaurus
  • Grammar
    • Grammar A-Z
    • Spelling
    • Punctuation
    • Writing help
    • Usage
  • Explore
    • Word origins
    • Language questions
    • Word lists
  • Word of the Year
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google Plus
  • Instagram