JadeW

Why do children (and some regressive adults) mock a suspected liar with the expression and gesture 'itchy chin'.

Tracey, Brighton

• Itchy Chin, otherwise known at schools as "Jimmy Hill", or just "Jimmeeeee". So why are people's pants on fire?

  Rob Lines, London, UK

• When children tell lies, they tend to cover their mouth with their hand, as if to hide the truth. When adults lie, they sometimes perform slightly more subtle versions of the same gesture, such as scratching their chin, nose or mouth. It's possible that the "Itchy chin" (Or "Jimmy Hill", when I was at school) taunt is an oblique reference to this.

  H Duffy, Leicester

• I saw my first ever "itchy chin" in June 1981, in a school playground. The "itcher" said "I reckon that's so", in an "Hill-Billy" style American accent, while stroking an imaginary beard.

  For some reason, the gesture immediately caught my imagination - it was the perfect way to insinuate humourously that a speaker was fibbing (Pinnochio nose-growing gestures had never really worked). And the gesture and expression were soon seen and heard daily.

  I think the American accent of my first sighting suggests that the gesture (beard-stroking while ruminating on a likely tale) had been picked up from a TV programme, and passed into common usage through repitition.

  But I could be wrong. Any takers?

  Garrick Alder, London

• I always thought it was a sarcastic gesture, along the lines of "hmm..." As if the gesturer is pondering the truth of the statement in a pseudo intellectual manner.

  Jan, Manchester

• This gesture may be related to the custom of stroking the palm of one''s left hand with the fingertips of the right, as is done in some middle-eastern countries to indicate disbelief, lit. "Grass will grow in the palm of my hand before I believe what you''re saying". In this case, the stroker may be indicating that his beard will grow much longer before the suspected liar is believed.

  As a schoolboy, I remember a variation on the "itchy chin" theme - the "itcher" pushed his tongue into the space between his lower lip and his lower gum, scratching the resultant bulge with his fingers while saying (or trying to say) "Itchy Belm" to the itchee. Does anyone else recall this phenomenon and if so, did anyone ever work out what a "belm" was?

  David Elias, London, England

• The "chinny reck-ON" that accompanies the chin-stroking is just a variation of the stock reply "Yeah, I reckon..." as in "I reckon you're right" or "I reckon you've got a valid point there" This is said sarcastically of course.

  Dr Matty Hebditch, Leeds

• I used to do it when I was a kid, so it can't derive from me

  jimmy hill, london

• Growing up in Glasgow, we had an alternative version: you tugged energetically on your earlobe, waggling it back and forth while saying "rubber ear." I'm almost certain it had nothing to do with Jimmy Hill.

  Cameron Black, Munich

• Guys & Gals, I can tell you that I was there when the phrase " Jimmy Hill" was created! It occurred spontaneously during a spot of banter between my mates Pete Joel & Michael "Chalky" White during a walk home from Chiswick School, London, sometime around 1975/ 76. Pete, as usual, was delivering a bit of witty nonsense & Chalky, the wearer of a profuse 'bumfluff' beard started stroking it in the common manner of thoughtful disbelief. Pete then said "you look like Jimmy Hill!". The phrase 'Jimmy Hill' & chin stroking mannerism caught on, first in our form, then throughout the school and the rest, as they say, is history.

  Ajay, Brighton UK

• Well, in mid-70s inner London any tall story was greeted with "not by a hair of my chinny chin chin chin" I think this was the catch phrase of a cartoon bear (possibly a Disney character)? Anyway, this of course became shortened to "chinny" or "chin" with accompanying chin stroking thrown in. It then morphed into "chinny reckon" and then leapt to "Jimmy Hill" (presumably due to his big chin.)

  Mayn, Liverpool UK