It’s 6am on Monday, and along with the rest of London, you’re waiting on the Tube with a tired mind and sandy eyes.
Battling rucksacks and leaky travel mugs, you fight your way onto the Northern Line — there are no seats, that’s usual.
But this morning, it’s worse: you’ve tripped and fallen over the crossed legs of a fellow Underground passenger.
There are plenty of irritating commuter types who disrupt the journey from bed to desk.
We’ve already told you about double-baggers, who take one seat for their bum and another for their bag, and barebackers, who endure the commute without AirPods or any form of entertainment.
However, in the narrow confines of a busy carriage, none are more infuriating than ‘knee knockers’ — a term coined by Metro to describe people who sit with their legs crossed on crowded trains.
Whole Reddit threads are devoted to the issue, while on X, a commuter named Maddie recently called out culprits:
‘What’s with everyone crossing their legs on the train?
‘Today the Tube was packed and the woman with her legs crossed kept tutting when people banged into them. People standing in the aisle, whilst she was sitting pretty with her legs crossed.’
Others agreed, calling ‘knee knockers’ annoying, inconsiderate and selfish.
As one person noted: ‘I don’t get it, it just makes it impossible for folk to get off the train.’
But are we making much ado about nothing?
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After all, knee-knocking is the opposite of ‘manspreading’, when someone sits on public transport with their legs wide apart, taking up more room than needed.
The world view
In Japan, crossing your legs in a social setting is highly disrespectful.
The behaviour is particularly frowned upon on public transport, and if you’re going to cross ’em, be prepared to attract some withering stares.
Chiaki Watanabe, who was born and raised in Tokyo, said: ‘It’s bad-mannered. It takes up room and makes the passenger next to you feel uncomfortable with your dirty shoe sole stuck out toward them.’
Likewise, ‘manspreading’ is a major no-no in the east Asian country.
One Reddit user who has lived in Japan for the past five years says they regularly drew ‘menacing looks’ before clocking on to the etiquette.
They added: ‘I wasn’t hardcore manspreading (maybe just slightly), but the trains are crowded and it’s considered annoying to those around you.
‘Even though most of the time people didn’t say anything, I usually got the hint and shifted my posture to mimic those around me. On a couple of occasions, though, I have been asked to move my legs.’
Ok, so we have a lot to learn from the Japanese when it comes to commuting etiquette.
But it’s not just the UK where this behaviour is rife. Plenty of people in the US have been venting about knee knockers, too.
‘There’s no room for it on the subway,’ one man ranted on Quora.
‘People can’t walk because somebody crossed their legs. They block other people. Go cross your legs in your living room, seriously.’
Another agreed: ‘Doesn’t it irritate you when people cross their legs while sitting down, during peak hours when the train is crowded? Like cmon, you’re taking up unnecessary space for your comfort. And the worst is when they hit you with their shoes, and they still keep their legs crossed!?!!!’
All of that said, we’d take a knee knocker over other types of commuters any day. Metro readers agree that the worst of all is the ‘barebacker.’
Not everyone sees crossed legs as a problem, either.
One person suggested people may sit this way because it’s more comfortable, they’re wearing a dress or skirt.
Putting it simply, they said: ‘It’s not that big of a deal.’
Another joked: ‘If people just existing in ways that differ from you is so annoying, baby seek therapy.’
What can you do about knee knockers?
Generally, the most polite thing to do if you encounter a ‘knee knocker’ causing genuine disruption is to ask them to uncross their legs.
If the person crossing their legs isn’t doing any harm (e.g. the carriage isn’t busy or you’re sitting nowhere near them), use your head and let it go.
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