A friend has lent me several Harlan Coben books (pretty good but not great, imho), and in some of them, characters are referred to as having or "sporting" a soul patch. For all I knew it was some kind of tattoo.
Today I finally tried looking it up online, to find that it is a kind of, well, patch, of facial hair. But I found different "definitions"; one place said that basically it was a goatee; another, that it was a small tuft just beneath the lower lip and above the chin.
Is there anybody more in touch with the real world than I am who can tell me for sure what it is?

my understanding of it is that it is a small goatee. sort of like a hitler moustache but on the chin. I think the bit just under the lip has another name? but likely it all gets a bit confused. a bit hairy, one might even say.

there is an Olympic speed skater, whose name escapes me at the moment, who sported one.

Apolo Anton OHNO

wikipedia claims it's under the lip.

-joe (I've got mine surrounded) friday

edit: but check this photo out!

I've associated a soul patch with the kind of beardlet worn by Frank Zappa.

thanks for the clarification.

however, is it a soul patch even when it's part of the entire beard ensemble? so, one could say, "the soul patch portion of my beard"?

I'd say no way.

-joe (no way) friday