Hanky code (also known as bandana code and flagging) is a way of indicating preference, usually among gay male casual sex-seekers or BDSM practitioners in the leather subculture in the United States, Canada and Europe, whether they are a top or bottom, and what kind of sex they are seeking, by wearing cotton color-coded handkerchiefs (bandanas), usually in the back pocket. Today the bandanas are worn almost exclusively in the rear trouser pocket, on the left side of the body for tops and on the right for bottoms, just as tops wear their keys on the left belt loop and bottoms on the right. There is no universally understood color code, and regional codes vary. There is general agreement upon the colors with an intuitive relation between the color and the practice, such as yellow for watersports; brown for scat; and black for SM, but no absolute consensus for all colours or acts.
worn LEFT	COLOUR	worn RIGHT
Fucker	BLUE	Fuckee
SM Top	BLACK	SM Bottom
Fister	RED	Fistee
Pisser	YELLOW	Pissee
Bondage Top	GREY	Bondage Bottom
Blowee	Light BLUE	Blowee
Drill Sergeant	OLIV	Recruit
Scater	BROWN	Scatee
Anything active	ORANGE	Anything passive0
Most of the following colours you will see very rarely or never – to be honest I haven’t seen most of them (or because of my ignorance just didn’t noticed – mea culpa – mea culpa – mea maxima culpa). With some of them my computer even has a problem to show them.
Jerkee	WHITE	Jerker
Double Fister	Dark RED	Double fistee
Dildo fucker	Light PINK	Dildo fuckee
Nipple worker	Dark PINK	Nipple workee
Lick my armpits	MAGENTA	Wants to lick armpits
Pierces	VIOLETT	pierced/likes to get pierced
Big Dig	MUSTARD	Size queen
2 looking 4 1	GOLD	1 looking 4 2
Chubby	APRICOT	Chubby chaser
Lick my feet	CORAL RED	Likes 2 lick feet
Cowboy	RUST	Horse
Callboy	GREEN	John
Dad	Hunters GREEN	Son
Rimmer	BEIGE	Rimmee
Spanker	FUCHSIA	Spankee
Uncut	BROWN LACE	Looks 4 uncut
Cut	BROWN SATIN	Looks 4 cut
Rubber-Top	COAL	Gummi-Bottom
Wears suits	GREY FLANNEL	Likes suits
Safe-Sex-Top	BLACK&WHITE PLAID	Safe-Sex-Bottom
Shaves	RED & WHITE STRIPES	Wants 2 get shaved
Bear	RED & BLACK STRIPES	Likes bears
Has/takes Videos	BLACK VELVET	Wants to get filmed
Voyeur	WHITE VELVET	Show of
Wears boxershorts	PAISLEY	Likes boxershorts
Likes muscular bottoms	GOLD LAMÉ	Likes muscular Tops
Has tattoos	LEOPARD	Likes tattoos
Smokes cigars	Light BROWN	Likes Cigar smokers
Outdoor-Sex Top	MOSQUITO NET	Outdoor-Sex Bottom
Cuddler	TEDDYBEAR	Cuddlee