Barbers: jargon-buster

Arch: The area between the ear and hairline, usually defined by clippers. Most barbers follow the natural line—tell them if you want something more marked.

Blocked nape: The nape is where your neck meets your hair, and blocked means it follows a straight line. The alternative is a rounded or tapered nape where barbers graduate hair length into the back of the neck.

Bowl cut: Popular for young children, barbers do a bowl cut by clipping very short around the back and sides, leaving longer hair on top.

Brush cut: A longer version of the crew cut, where barbers cut the hair to a length so that it appears to stand up on end.

Caesar cut: Where barbers cut the front of the hair to be styled forward—a look associated with George Clooney.

Clippers: Barbers use these electric hair trimmers for a faster cut. It also means they can achieve a more even look than they would get with scissors alone. Barbers attach different devices to the end of clippers to determine the length of hair left on the head, and grade the length using a number system—for example, a number two = 6 mm (0.25 in).

Crew cut: For this, barbers cut hair short at the back and sides with a graduated hair length on top, following the contour of the head from brow line to crown.

Cut-throat razor: Barbers use these straight razor blades, with no protective guard, to shave facial hair and to "razor" head hair.

Hot towels: After a shave, barbers wrap your face in hot towels to open your pores and prevent in-growing hairs.

Landing strip: The area of scalp that can be seen when the hair is parted.

Mullet: The term mullet as regarding a hairstyle is speculated to have been first heard in the film Cool Hand Luke. To create a mullet, barbers cut the hair short on top and at the sides but leave it long at the back.

Quiff: Leaving hair longer at the front, barbers style it high off the forehead (think Elvis!).

Short back and sides: Before the age of clippers and self-expression through hairstyling, the short back and sides was the standard offering at barbers. Leaving around 0.3 cm (0.125 in) all over, the style was designed to be neat and tidy wherever the hair was parted.

Sideburns: Barbers often ask whether you want to keep your sideburns, referring to the hair that joins head hair to your facial hair. Think before they snip!