it is believed that the hanky code was developed in san francisco during the gold rush of of the mid-1900's. as there were too few women in the town at the time, men would dance with each other (and more, no doubt) on saturday nights. a handkerchief tied around either arm would signify whether the man wanted to lead (left) or be lead (right)

the practice was revived in the mid-1970's in san francisco and extended to signify different sexual interests by means of colour. the practice seems to have died out a little, though those into fisting tend to continue this useful habit more than others.

colours can be used in several ways beyond a hanky in the back pocket - striped armbands are popular, as well as piping or stripes in jeans and chaps, stripes on jockstraps look great too.

the list has been added to over the years with some rather tongue-in-cheek colours and patterns which only served to confuse things. herewith a back-to-basics list: