cue

¹

[ kyoo ]

noun

1. anything said or done, on or off stage, that is followed by a specific line or action:

   An off-stage door slam was his cue to enter.

   Synonyms: signal

2. anything that excites to action; stimulus.
3. a hint; intimation; guiding suggestion.

   Synonyms: inkling, tip, key, hint, sign

4. the part a person is to play; a prescribed or necessary course of action.
5. a sensory signal used to identify experiences, facilitate memory, or organize responses.
6. Archaic. frame of mind; mood.

verb (used with object)

, cued, cu·ing.

1. to provide with a cue or indication; give a cue to; prompt:

   Will you cue me on my lines?

2. to insert, or direct to come in, in a specific place in a musical or dramatic performance (usually followed by in or into ):

   to cue in a lighting effect.

3. to search for and reach (a specific track on a recording) (sometimes followed by up ).

cue

²

[ kyoo ]

noun

1. a long, tapering rod, tipped with a soft leather pad, used to strike the ball in billiards, pool, etc.
2. a long, usually wooden stick with a concave head, used to propel the disks in shuffleboard.
3. a queue or braid of hair worn behind the head.
4. a queue or file, as of persons awaiting their turn.

verb (used with object)

, cued, cu·ing.

1. to tie into a queue.
2. to strike with a cue.

cue

³

[ kyoo ]

noun

1. the letter Q, q.

cue

¹

/ kjuː /

noun

1. 1. (in the theatre, films, music, etc) anything spoken or done that serves as a signal to an actor, musician, etc, to follow with specific lines or action
   2. at the right moment
2. a signal or reminder to do something
3. psychol the part of any sensory pattern that is identified as the signal for a response
4. the part, function, or action assigned to or expected of a person

verb

1. tr to give a cue or cues to (an actor)
2. usually foll byin or into to signal (to something or somebody) at a specific moment in a musical or dramatic performance

   to cue in a flourish of trumpets

3. tr to give information or a reminder to (someone)
4. intr to signal the commencement of filming, as with the word "Action!"

cue

²

/ kjuː /

noun

1. billiards snooker a long tapered shaft with a leather tip, used to drive the balls
2. hair caught at the back forming a tail or braid
3. a variant spelling of queue

verb

1. to drive (a ball) with a cue
2. tr to twist or tie (the hair) into a cue

Word History and Origins

Origin of cue¹

First recorded in 1545–55; spelled name of the letter q as an abbreviation (found in acting scripts) of Latin quandō “when”

Origin of cue²

First recorded in 1740–50; from French queue “tail,” Old French cöe, coue, from Latin cōda, popular form of cauda “tail”; coward, queue

Origin of cue³

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English cu; conventional adaptation in spelling of the letter name

Word History and Origins

Origin of cue¹

C16: probably from name of the letter q, used in an actor's script to represent Latin quando when

Origin of cue²

C18: variant of queue

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. cue (someone) in, Informal. to inform; give instructions, information, news, etc., to:

   Cue him in on the plans for the dance.

2. miss a cue,
   1. to fail to respond to a cue.
   2. Informal. to miss the point:

      You could tell by his expression that he had missed a cue.

Related Words

• clue
• hint
• suggestion