Definition of "curlicue" [curl•i•cue]

• A fancy twist or curl, such as a flourish made with a pen. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The curlicue is a little uneven, too, but the chef complimented my pear, and I rather like it myself."
• "Remnants of the feathers and "curlicue" designs can still be seen."
• "Portis's language is an archaic, biblically inflected 19th-century American English, free of contractions, a plainsong not averse to rhetorical filigree and curlicue – a perfect fit for the hyper-literate, word-drunk Coens."