curlicue

American  

[kur-li-kyoo] / ˈkɜr lɪˌkyu /

Or curlycue

noun

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

---

curlicue British  

/ ˈkɜːlɪˌkjuː /

noun

1. an intricate ornamental curl or twist

---

Etymology

Origin of curlicue

First recorded in 1835–45; curly + cue ²

Example Sentences

And maybe even better, since she had a way with writing her ABCs and I couldn’t care less about swoops and curlicues back then.

From Literature

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

From 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.

From The Wall Street Journal

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

From Salon

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

From Salon

Related Words

• crest
• flood
• influx
• movement
• outbreak
• rash
• rush
• sign
• stream
• surge
• swell
• tide
• upsurge