finger wave

American

noun

Hairdressing.

a wave set by impressing the fingers into hair dampened by lotion or water.

finger wave British

noun

hairdressing a wave set in wet hair by using fingers and comb only

"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

Etymology

Origin of finger wave

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“Which is so funny because normally you’d be like, ‘Oh, wow, look at this beautiful finger wave, but because it was on Nellie it was so wrong.”

From New York Times • Dec. 23, 2022

Shelby Swain: I have a fan chair — one of those fan chairs they had in the ’80s — and I did a finger wave.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 19, 2022

During a performance, breakthrough singer-rapper Lizzo brought Elliott’s colorful and eccentric music videos to life in an ensemble similar to what Elliott sported in the late ’90s — the finger wave hairdo included.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 13, 2019

They would like to eliminate those who charge only 25� for a manicure or finger wave, $2 for apermanent wave.

From Time Magazine Archive

A Lee cousin primped up slightly wilted heads of lettuce the way a girl primps a loose finger wave.

From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023