tickle the ivories
Play the piano, as in He went on tickling the ivories until three in the morning. This expression alludes to a piano's keys, traditionally made of ivory. [Colloquial; first half of 1900s]
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Nearby words
- tickey,
- ticking,
- ticklace,
- tickle,
- tickle one's fancy,
- tickled,
- tickled pink,
- tickler,
- tickler coil,
- tickler file
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.