curlicue

Or cur·ly·cue

[kur-li-kyoo]

noun

1. an ornamental, fancy curl or twist, as in a signature.

curlicue

/ ˈkɜːlɪˌkjuː /

noun

1. an intricate ornamental curl or twist

Word History and Origins

Origin of curlicue¹

First recorded in 1835–45; curly + cue ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of curlicue¹

C19: from _curly + _cue ²

Example Sentences

She ran so fast her hair came undone and popped up in yellow curlicues all ’round her head.

Read more on Literature

On “Rated OG,” he adds intriguing curlicue accents to a chord progression rendered on vibraphone as a forceful, distorted bass riff chugs along underneath.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Get it really cold and then a giant twist, not those little curlicue twists that they do sometimes.

Read more on Salon

The vegetable was bronzed, the cheese melted and browned, perfect curlicues of crisped cheese enveloping each strand of roasted fennel.

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The Helicteres isora, the jacket’s namesake, is a vibrant plant from northern Oceania whose leaves dry in tawny-green curlicues, like nature’s fractals.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

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