Comb over

Comb over
This variant of the comb over was patented in 1977.

A comb over or combover is a hairstyle worn by bald or balding men in which the hair on one side of the head is grown long and then combed over the bald area to minimize the display of baldness. A variation of the comb over where baldness is concealed by long hair combed in three separate directions has a U.S. Patent 4,022,227 by Donald J. Smith and his father, Frank J. Smith, of Orlando, Florida. The Smiths were awarded an Ig Nobel Prize in Engineering for their effort.

Contents

Synonyms

In Japan, men with comb overs are called "bar code men" （バーコード人）, referring to the similarity between the striations caused by the comb and the UPC on products. The "barcode style" is called "bākōdo na kamigata" （バーコードな髪型）.[1]

Famous comb overs

Donald Trump's iconic combover
  • The Emperor Constantine combed his hair forward to disguise his baldness.[2]
  • In the UK, two people noted for comb overs were the former chairman of Call My Bluff, Robert Robinson (known as the "king of the comb over")[3][4] and World Cup winner Bobby Charlton.[5][6]
  • Former University of Illinois basketball coach Lou Henson had his combover style termed the "Lou-do"[7] by ESPN announcer Dick Vitale. Earlier in his career, when Henson was a coach at New Mexico State, he sported a close-cropped hairstyle that did not conceal his baldness.
  • Donald Trump is known to sport a highly elaborate version of the comb over.[8]
  • In Spain, the Basque nationalist politician Iñaki Anasagasti is noted for his comb over, giving his name to comb overs ("hairstyle a la Anasagasti").[9]
  • Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika is known for his comb over in Algeria and neighbouring countries.[10]

General Douglas MacArthur, 1880-1964, wore a comb-over. His GI Joe action figure also has a comb-over.

  • Prince Charles Prince of Wales is also known for his comb over to hide his bald spot in the back.

In popular culture

The Scottish comedian Gregor Fisher lampooned the comb over style with his character The Baldy Man, which featured in a television advertisement before graduating to its own TV show.

Stand-up comedian Heywood Banks sometimes sports a comb over despite having a full head of hair, stating "I'm not going bald, but I like the look!"

On an episode of Room 101, newsreader Lorraine Kelly called comb overs "Pedal Bin Hair".

One of the villains from Cars 2, Professor Zündapp, has a broken roof rack that resembles a comb over.

References

  1. ^ From: Japan Akihiko Yonekawa ed Slang Dictionary (3rd edition) publishing house in Tokyo in 2006, 483 pages. see also: „Miscellaneous“ in the article on barcodes in the Japanese Wikipedia
  2. ^ Paul Stephenson, Constantine, Roman Emperor, Christian Victor, 2010:207.
  3. ^ Guardian books
  4. ^ thecustard.tv
  5. ^ Oxfordstudent.com
  6. ^ Irish Examiner
  7. ^ Sports Illustrated
  8. ^ "Donald Trump: The Art of the Comb-over" http://www.sun-sentinel.com/broadband/theedge/sfl-donaltrumpflash,0,3991343.htmlstory
  9. ^ http://muyloco.files.wordpress.com/2007/12/anasagasti.jpg
  10. ^ http://www.el-mouradia.dz/arabe/president/presidentar.htm
  11. ^ http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1960635653314&set=a.1960635413308.2106758.1165486625&type=1&theater

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • comb over — To comb long strands of hair from one side of the head over to the other to disguise a bald patch • • • Main Entry: ↑comb …   Useful english dictionary

  • comb-over — «KOHM OH vuhr», noun a hairstyle made by parting the hair and sweeping it sideways over the top of the head, often to cover a bald spot: » He wears his black hair in an unruly comb over, and the dark, craggy features of his face set off a quick… …   Useful english dictionary

  • comb-over — comb o•ver [[t]ˈkoʊmˌoʊ vər[/t]] n. a hairstyle in which a central bald spot is covered with hair combed over from the side of the head • Etymology: [1980 85] …   From formal English to slang

  • comb-over — /ˈkoʊm oʊvə/ (say kohm ohvuh) noun a hairstyle favoured by balding men in which the hair is parted low on the side and combed over to cover the top of the head. Also, comb across …  

  • comb-over — noun Date: 1980 an arrangement of hair on a balding man in which hair from the side of the head is combed over the bald spot …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • Comb over — Der Politiker Gregor Gysi mit Stirnglatze Als Glatze (auch Kahlkopf) bezeichnet man die Oberseite des menschlichen Kopfes, wenn auf ihm keine Haare vorhanden sind. Die altersbedingte Glatze, die vor allem beim Mann und selten bei der Frau (in… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Comb sort — Class Sorting algorithm Data structure Array Worst case performance O(n log n)[1] …   Wikipedia

  • over — 1. adjective /ˈəʊ.və(ɹ),ˈoʊ.vɚ/ a) Finished; ended or concluded. The show is over. b) (as a prefix): To excess. He is over zealous. 2. adverb /ˈəʊ.və(ɹ),ˈoʊ.vɚ/ …   Wiktionary

  • comb-across — /ˈkoʊm əkrɒs/ (say kohm uhkros) noun → comb over …  

  • comb — comb1 [kōm] n. [ME < OE camb, comb, lit., toothed object < IE * g̑ombhos (> Sans jámbah, Gr gomphos, tooth) < base * ĝembh ,ĝombh , to bite, tooth] 1. a thin strip of hard rubber, plastic, metal, etc. with teeth, passed through the… …   English World dictionary

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