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definitions

curlicue

or cur·ly·cue

[kur-li-kyoo]
See more synonyms for curlicue on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. an ornamental, fancy curl or twist, as in a signature.

Origin of curlicue

First recorded in 1835–45; curly + cue2
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for curlicue

curve, flourish, rush, stream, swell, upsurge, rash, surge, tide, flood, outbreak, sign, crest, influx, movement, braid, tendril, coil, trajectory, arc

Examples from the Web for curlicue

Historical Examples of curlicue

  • I am called Curlicue, and am an object of derision; I entreat you to make me less ridiculous.'

  • Eventually old Clay Kittredge died, and the son chopped the "Jr." curlicue from the end of his name and began a new rgime.

    In a Little Town

    Rupert Hughes

  • One somewhat distinctive feature is found here, namely, the very frequent use of the curlicue or roll as an ornamental feature.

  • His face and hands were spare and lean, but his uniform was immaculate, covered with every curlicue the regulations allowed.

    The Risk Profession

    Donald Edwin Westlake

British Dictionary definitions for curlicue

curlicue

noun
  1. an intricate ornamental curl or twist

Word Origin for curlicue

C19: from curly + cue ²
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for curlicue
n.

1843, American English, from curly + cue, perhaps from French queue "tail" or letter Q in its looping script form. Earlier in this sense was curlie-wurlie (1772).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper