cue

cue
noun

the blinking blue light is my cue to lower the volume

Syn:
signal, sign, indication, prompt, reminder; nod, word, gesture
••
cue, queue
Though pronounced the same, these words have different meanings. Cue = (1) a signal to begin; a hint; or (2) a stick used in billiards, pool, or shuffleboard. Queue = (1) a line of people or things waiting their turn; or (2) a hanging braid of hair. Not surprisingly, the two are sometimes confused — e.g.:
• "Like most birds, teal don't start their migration based on air temperatures, but take their queue [read cue] to head south from the shortening hours of daylight." (Times-Picayune [New Orleans]; Sept. 25, 1994.)
• "People were forced to stand in long cues [read queues] at five emergency water stations in Amagasaki." (Daily Yomiuri [English language/Japan]; Jan. 19, 1995.)
To cue up a videotape, an audiotape, or a compact disc is to have it ready for playing at a particular point — e.g.: "His brother cued up the tape, the rousing theme song from ‘Rocky.’ (Hartford Courant; Sept. 17, 1996.)
To queue up is to line up — e.g.: "Florida State students queued up for probably the most prized ticket they would ever use." (Sports Illustrated; Dec. 2, 1996.)
The braid of hair is spelled queue, not cue — e.g.: "Instructed by French dancing masters in the stately steps and deep curtsies of the minuet, the young men had indeed to mind their pieds (feet) and queues (pigtails) to keep from losing their balance or their huge wigs." (Press-Enterprise [Riverside, CA]; Nov. 15, 1995.) — BG

Thesaurus of popular words. 2014.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую
Synonyms:
, , , , , / (in billiards)


Look at other dictionaries:

  • Cue — or CUE may refer to: Contents 1 Event markers 2 Places 3 Education 4 Music 5 Other …   Wikipedia

  • Cue — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. CUE, sigle composé des trois lettres C, U et E, peut faire référence à : Mariscal La Mar, aéroport de Cuenca en Équateur, selon la liste des codes… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Cue TV — Current Cue TV logo. Launched 1996 Owned by Mercury TV Ltd. Picture format PAL Formerly called Mercury Television Southland TV Website …   Wikipedia

  • cue — Ⅰ. cue [1] ► NOUN 1) a signal to an actor to enter or to begin their speech or performance. 2) a signal or prompt for action. 3) a facility for playing through an audio or video recording very rapidly until a desired starting point is reached. ►… …   English terms dictionary

  • cue — cue1 [kyo͞o] n. [< q, Q, used in plays in 16th & 17th c. to indicate actors entrances; prob. abbrev. of some L word (as quando, when, qualis, in what manner)] 1. a bit of dialogue, action, or music that is a signal for an actor s entrance or… …   English World dictionary

  • Cue — (k[=u]), n. [ OF. coue, coe, F. queue, fr. L. coda, cauda, tail. Cf. {Caudal}, {Coward}, {Queue}.] 1. The tail; the end of a thing; especially, a tail like twist of hair worn at the back of the head; a queue. [1913 Webster] 2. The last words of a …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Cue — Cue, v. t. To form into a cue; to braid; to twist. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • cue — has several meanings in English, and it is not clear whether they can all be considered to be the same word. In the case of ‘pigtail’ and ‘billiard stick’, both of which appeared in the 18th century, cue is clearly just a variant spelling of… …   The Hutchinson dictionary of word origins

  • cue — has several meanings in English, and it is not clear whether they can all be considered to be the same word. In the case of ‘pigtail’ and ‘billiard stick’, both of which appeared in the 18th century, cue is clearly just a variant spelling of… …   Word origins

  • Cue — Cue, n. [From q, an abbreviation for quadrans a farthing.] A small portion of bread or beer; the quantity bought with a farthing or half farthing. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] Note: The term was formerly current in the English universities, the letter q …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • cue — index frame (mood), guidance, hint (noun), hint (verb), indicant, indication, indicator, reference ( …   Law dictionary

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