Mutton Chops

Mutton chops is just another phrase for extravagant sideburns. One of the earliest depictions of sideburns is found in a Pompeiian mosaic of Alexander the Great. During the 1700s, beards and sideburns saw popularity worldwide, especially in South America.

Mutton chops are usually associated with Victorian men who sported abnormally long sideburns. Mutton chops fell out of fashion in the early 1900s. Furthermore, wearing gas masks in the first world war required a clean shaven face, with the exception of short mustaches.

In modern British slang, sideburns and handlebar mustaches are referred to as "buggers handles," buggers-grips," or "buggery-grips."