The practice is said to have originated in Glasgow, Scotland in the 1920s and '30s, but became popular with English street gangs (especially among the Chelsea Headhunters, a London-based hooligan firm, among whom it is known as a "Chelsea grin" or "Chelsea smile").
Crese que a práctica se orixinou en Glasgow, Escocia nas décadas de 1920 e 1930, pero fíxose moi popular entre as bandas criminias inglesas (especialmente entre os Chelsea Headhunters, unha banda hoolingan de Londres que popularizou os nomes "Chelsea grin" ou "Chelsea smile").