curlicue

American  

[kur-li-kyoo] / ˈkɜr lɪˌkyu /

Or curlycue

noun

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

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curlicue British  

/ ˈkɜːlɪˌkjuː /

noun

1. an intricate ornamental curl or twist

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Etymology

Origin of curlicue

First recorded in 1835–45; curly + cue ²

Explanation

A curlicue is a spiral, twist, or wavy shape that's added as a flourish. You might personalize your signature by adding a couple of curlicues to the first letter of your name. In design, architecture, and works of art, a curly spiral can be called a curlicue. The black wrought iron fence surrounding a rose garden may feature curlicues, and formal calligraphy, with its swirls and flourishes, is full of curlicues. This word is an Americanism based on curly, with the cue probably stemming from the French queue, "tail." An earlier — and more adorable — word with the same meaning was curlie-wurlie.

Example Sentences

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 • Oct. 28, 2025

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

From Salon • May 1, 2025

The actors speak their speeches as though they’re invisible to the audience, illustrating their meanings through their exaggerated cadences and stretching out every rhetorical curlicue.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 10, 2023

The wooden figure—with its shaggy white hair, black curlicue mustache, and cherubic pink cheeks—bears little resemblance to Donald Trump’s signature comb over and bronzed skin.

From Slate • Jun. 10, 2023

How he had copied the group of letters out on a piece of brown paper; copied, as illiterate people do, every curlicue, arch, and bend in the letters, and presented it to the midwife.

From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison

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