��the mullet is as American as pick-ups with rifle racks, tractor

pulls, Wal-Mart, wet T-shirt contests, slapping your girl upside

the head with a frying pan and living in the woods.�

-Beastie Boys

      The term mullet is fast becoming a world-renowned slang term.  It is one of those versatile terms that can define anything from a specific species of fish to the haircut that holds a nation captive.  In this paper we will be discussing its origins and use as a slang term.

       The term mullet, according to the Old English Dictionary (OED), was first used in 1398 and described a certain species of fish.  In 1599 Cynthia�s Revolution Volume IV used the term mullet as �small pinchers for curling the hair.�  (www.dictionary.com)  However, this is not the definition from which we derived mullet as slang.  Mullet-head is defined as fish having a large flat head or a fool.  The term mullet-head was fist used in 1866 in an edition of Harpers magazine.

       According to The Mullet:  Hairstyle of the Gods the term mullet in slang refers to haircuts that are �sort at the front and long in the back�.  (Larson and Hoskyns 13)  Mullet itself has slang terms such as the Kentucky waterfall, the camero cut, the beaver paddle, the ape drape and the neck warmer just to name a few.  To me, all of these things describe a mullet.

       My usage of the term mullet is restricted only to the slang version.  For instance when I am out in public and happen to spot a person with this specific hairstyle it is not uncommon for me to refer to them as having a mullet.  Those humans who do so chose to sport the mullet do more so in rural communities.  Call it what you will, but it is a �bulls eye� for identifying a �hick� or country bumpkin.  Much of the entire rural community is also up to the times and recognizes �mullet� not just as the fish they love to hunt and devour, but also as a type of haircut.

      Mullet should defiantly be admitted into standard American English as a hairstyle description due to the fact that it is fast becoming a world recognized slang term.  There are countless web sites, magazine articles and even a book all entirely devoted to the legacy of the world�s most popular hairdo.  With such a recognizable label it most certainly be recognized by its peers.

      The mullet of today�s society can mean many things, but to those who truly love America for what it is and the people that represent it the term mullet will forever be synonymous with a simple hairdo.