Knuckle tattoo

A knuckle tattoo is a specific kind of tattoo that utilizes two groups of four-letter words, or one eight-letter word (more or less in the rare case of the bearer having a different number of fingers on each hand).[1] It is not necessarily a prison tattoo, as otherwise stated, although it remains an unpopular form of tattoo due to its practically impossibility of being hidden, as are hand tattoos in general.[2][3]

One of the most popular knuckle tattoos is LOVE / HATE, made famous by Robert Mitchum's character Reverend Harry Powell, on the film The Night of the Hunter[4] Other word combinations like GOOD GIRL, HARD CORE, GAME OVER or FUCK LOVE are popular.[5]

Some people also use their knuckles to tattoo drawings and images, sometimes in groups of four, such as the 4 symbols of a deck of playing cards, signifying luck. Astrological symbols also make for popular designs among knuckle tattoo enthusiasts.

Knuckle tattoos in popular culture

References

  1. Schonberger, Nick (8 December 2011). "Hate Or Love? The 10 Best Knuckle Tattoos". Complex.com. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  2. McDermott, Kerry (7 June 2013). "Sacked for her tatt! Department store fires mother, 39, from store cafe because customers complained about her new inking". Daily Mail. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  3. Hudson, Karen L. "Why Many Tattoo Artists Refuse to Tattoo Hands, Feet, and Faces". About.com. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  4. Richards, Sam (10 January 2014). "A brief history of knuckle tattoos". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  5. "Alphabetical list of Hand or Knuckle Tattoos". Vanishing Tattoo. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  6. "The Night of the Hunter (1955) - IMDb". imdb.com. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
  7. "The Blues Brothers (1980) - IMDb". imdb.com. Retrieved 4 August 2014.

External links

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