curlicue

IPA/ˈkɜːlɪkjuː/
KK[kˈɚlˌɪkju]IPA/ˈkɜːrlɪkjuː/

curlicue — noun

1. a small fancy loop or twirl, drawn or shaped into something for decoration — lik

1.nounC2
Definition

a small fancy loop or twirl, drawn or shaped into something for decoration — like the swirls at the end of a signature, or the curling lines on an old wrought-iron gate.

Example

Alessia signed her name with a long curlicue under the last letter.

curlicue as part of handwriting decoration

The iron gate was covered in delicate curlicues painted dark green.

plural curlicues describing a decorative pattern

Common collocations
  • draw a curlicue
  • covered in curlicues
  • curlicues of smoke
Synonyms
  • flourish

    common everyday word; emphasises the showy gesture rather than the curled shape itself

  • swirl

    broader — any spiral motion or pattern, not specifically decorative

  • scroll

    more architectural; the carved or moulded curl on furniture, columns, or violins

Grammar Patterns

a curlicue of [substance/material]

Usage Note

Most often used in the plural; describes the loop or twirl itself, not the act of making one. Subjects that take curlicues are usually written signatures, drawn designs, ironwork, icing, or rising smoke.

Common Mistakes

He wrote a curlicue letter to his aunt.
He wrote a letter with curlicues in the margin.
'curlicue' is a noun naming the shape, not an adjective describing handwriting.

curlicue — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These four words all name a curling decorative shape, but readers should not treat them as freely interchangeable. 'Curlicue' is the most specific: a small, fancy, often playful loop — think handwriting flourishes or icing on a cake. 'Flourish' overlaps strongly in writing contexts but emphasises the showy gesture more than the shape ('she signed with a flourish'). 'Swirl' is the broadest of the four — any spiral motion or pattern, from cream in coffee to dust in the wind — and carries no decorative judgement. 'Scroll' is the most architectural: the carved or moulded curl seen on furniture, columns, or the head of a violin. Compare: 'Maeve added a small curlicue under her signature' (decorative writing); 'the violin's scroll was carved from maple' (architectural).

curlicue ↗flourish ↗swirl ↗scroll ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • curlicues of smoke
  • curlicues of icing
  • curlicues of ink

Phrases

  • covered in curlicues
  • decorated with curlicues

Prepositions

  • with curlicues
  • in curlicues
  • of curlicues

Etymology

English

An English word formed in the early 1800s by joining 'curly' (full of curls) with 'cue' — here meaning a curling end-stroke, like a tail or pigtail. Originally written 'curly-cue' before settling into a single word. The shape itself, a small decorative loop, has been a feature of European handwriting and ironwork for centuries; the word simply gave English a casual, slightly playful name for it.