Knuckle tattoo
A knuckle tattoo is a specific kind of tattoo that most commonly uses two groups of four-letter words or one eight-letter word.[1] It is not necessarily a prison tattoo, as sometimes believed, but remains an unpopular form of tattoo—alongside hand tattoos in general—due to the difficulty of hiding it in situations such as a formal setting where it would be seen as crass.[2] One of the most popular knuckle tattoos reads LOVE / HATE, made famous by Robert Mitchum's character Reverend Harry Powell in the 1955 film The Night of the Hunter.[3][4] Some people also use their knuckles to tattoo drawings and images, sometimes in groups of four, such as the four symbols of a deck of playing cards to signify good luck. Astrological symbols also make for popular designs.
Popular examples
- HARD / CORE
- STAY / DOWN
- JAKE / ELWO/OD (from The Blues Brothers)[5]
- BORN / FREE
- DRUG / FREE (made popular by professional wrestler CM Punk)
- LOVE / HATE (from The Night of the Hunter)
- THUG / LIFE
- LOVE / LOVE (made popular by musician Flea)
- HAND / MADE
- GAME / OVER[6]
- BORN / WILD
- LONE / WOLF
References
- ^ Schonberger, Nick (8 December 2011). "Hate Or Love? The 10 Best Knuckle Tattoos". Complex.com. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- ^ Hudson, Karen L. "Why Many Tattoo Artists Refuse to Tattoo Hands, Feet, and Faces". About.com. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- ^ "The Night of the Hunter (1955) - IMDb". imdb.com. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- ^ Richards, Sam (10 January 2014). "A brief history of knuckle tattoos". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- ^ "The Blues Brothers (1980) - IMDb". imdb.com. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- ^ "Alphabetical list of Hand or Knuckle Tattoos". Vanishing Tattoo. Retrieved 4 August 2014.