cue

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle)

CIDE DICTIONARY

cue, n. [ OF. coue, coe, F. queue, fr. L. coda, cauda, tail. Cf. Caudal, Coward, Queue.].

•  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]
•  The last words of a play actor's speech, serving as an intimation for the next succeeding player to speak; any word or words which serve to remind a player to speak or to do something; a catchword.  [1913 Webster]

  "When my cue comes, call me, and I will answer."  [1913 Webster]
•  A hint or intimation.  [1913 Webster]

  "Give them [the servants] their cue to attend in two lines as he leaves the house."  [1913 Webster]
•  The part one has to perform in, or as in, a play.  [1913 Webster]

  "Were it my cueto fight, I should have known it
  Without a prompter."  [1913 Webster]
•  Humor; temper of mind.  Dickens.  [1913 Webster]
•  A straight tapering rod used to impel the balls in playing billiards.  [1913 Webster]

cue, v. t. 

 To form into a cue; to braid; to twist.  [1913 Webster]

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.  [1913 Webster]
" The term was formerly current in the English universities, the letter q being the mark in the buttery books to denote such a portion. Nares."  Nares.  [1913 Webster]
"Hast thou worn
Gowns in the university, tossed logic,
Sucked philosophy, eat cues?"  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

cue, n. & v.
--n.
1 a the last words of an actor's speech serving as a signal to another actor to enter or speak. b a similar signal to a singer or player etc.
2 a a stimulus to perception etc. b a signal for action. c a hint on how to behave in particular circumstances.
3 a facility for or an instance of cueing audio equipment (see sense 2 of v.).
--v.tr. (cues, cued, cueing or cuing)
1 give a cue to .
2 put (a piece of audio equipment, esp. a record-player or tape recorder) in readiness to play a particular part of the recorded material.

Idiom

cue-bid Bridge an artificial bid to show a particular card etc. in the bidder's hand. cue in
1 insert a cue for.
2 give information to. on cue at the correct moment. take one's cue from follow the example or advice of.

cue, n. & v. Billiards etc.
--n. a long straight tapering rod for striking the ball.
--v. (cues, cued, cueing or cuing)
1 tr. strike (a ball) with a cue.
2 intr. use a cue.

Idiom

cue-ball the ball that is to be struck with the cue.

Derivative

cueist n.

Etymology

var. of QUEUE

THESAURUS

cue

actor, advice, agate, aide-memoire, alerting, antagonist, antihero, ball, baseball bat, bat, battledore, bauble, bit, bit part, blocks, book, braid, broad hint, brush, bun, cast, catchword, cauda, caudal appendage, caudation, caution, character, checkerboard, chessboard, chignon, club, clue, cockhorse, coil, continuity, cricket bat, cue word, dock, doll, doll carriage, evidence, fantail, fat part, feeder, flapper, frame, frame of mind, gentle hint, gesture, gewgaw, gimcrack, glimmer, glimmering, golf club, heart, heavy, hero, heroine, hint, hobbyhorse, hot lead, humor, implication, index, indication, ingenue, inkling, innuendo, insinuation, intimation, jack-in-the-box, jacks, jackstones, jackstraws, jogger, key, key word, kick, kickshaw, knickknack, knot, lead, lead role, leading lady, leading man, leading woman, libretto, lines, look, marble, marionette, memorandum, mig, mind, monition, mood, morale, nod, note, nudge, office, paper doll, part, passing word, person, personage, pick-up sticks, piece, pigtail, pinwheel, plait, playbook, plaything, pointer, prompt, prompter, prompting, protagonist, puppet, queue, racket, rag doll, rattail, remembrance, remembrancer, reminder, rocking horse, role, scenario, scene plot, scent, score, script, shooting script, side, sign, signal, soubrette, spirit, spirits, spoor, sport, state of mind, steelie, steer, straight part, stub, suggestion, supporting character, supporting role, suspicion, symptom, tail, tailpiece, taw, teetotum, telltale, temper, text, tickler, tip, tip-off, title role, tone, top, topknot, toy, toy soldier, trace, track, trinket, twist, vein, vestige, villain, walk-on, walking part, warning, whiff, whim-wham, whisper, wink

ROGET THESAURUS

cue

Pretext

N pretext, pretense, pretension, plea, allegation, advocation, ostensible motive, ostensible ground, ostensible reason, phony reason, excuse, subterfuge, color, gloss, guise, cover, loop hole, starting hole, how to creep out of, salvo, come off, way of escape, handle, peg to hang on, room locus standi, stalking-horse, cheval de bataille, cue, pretense, put off, dust thrown in the eyes, blind, moonshine, mere pretext, shallow pretext, lame excuse, lame apology, tub to a whale, false plea, sour grapes, makeshift, shift, white lie, special pleading, soft sawder, ostensibly, alleged, apologetic, pretended, ostensibly, under color, under the plea, under the pretense of, under the guise of.

Business

N business, occupation, employment, pursuit, what one is doing, what one is about, affair, concern, matter, case, matter in hand, irons in the fire, thing to do, agendum, task, work, job, chore, errand, commission, mission, charge, care, duty, part, role, cue, province, function, lookout, department, capacity, sphere, orb, field, line, walk, walk of life, beat, round, routine, race, career, office, place, post, chargeship, incumbency, living, situation, berth, employ, service, engagement, undertaking, vocation, calling, profession, cloth, faculty, industry, art, industrial arts, craft, mystery, handicraft, trade, exercise, work, avocation, press of business, businesslike, workaday, professional, official, functional, busy, on hand, in hand, in one's hands, afoot, on foot, on the anvil, going on, acting, in the course of business, all in one's day's work, professionally Adj, a business with an income at its heels, amoto quaeramus seria ludo, par negotiis neque supra.

Information

N information, enlightenment, acquaintance, knowledge, publicity, data, communication, intimation, notice, notification, enunciation, annunciation, announcement, communiqu_e, representation, round robin, presentment, case, estimate, specification, report, advice, monition, news, return, account, statement, mention, acquainting, instruction, outpouring, intercommunication, communicativeness, informant, authority, teller, intelligencer, reporter, exponent, mouthpiece, informer, eavesdropper, delator, detective, sleuth, mouchard, spy, newsmonger, messenger, amicus curiae, valet de place, cicerone, pilot, guide, guidebook, handbook, vade mecum, manual, map, plan, chart, gazetteer, itinerary, hint, suggestion, innuendo, inkling, whisper, passing word, word in the ear, subaudition, cue, byplay, gesture, gentle hint, broad hint, verbum sapienti, a word to the wise, insinuation, information theory, bit, byte, word, doubleword, quad word, paragraph, segment, magnetic media, paper medium, optical media, random access memory, RAM, read-only memory, ROM, write once read mostly memory, WORM, informed, communique, reported, published, expressive, explicit plain spoken, (artless), nuncupative, nuncupatory, declaratory, expository, enunciative, communicative, communicatory, from information received, a little bird told me, I heard it through the grapevine.

Indication

N indication, symbolism, symbolization, semiology, semiotics, semeiology, semeiotics, Zeitgeist, characteristic, diagnostic, lineament, feature, trait, fingerprint, voiceprint, footprint, noseprint, cloven hoof, footfall, recognition (memory), diagnostic, divining rod, detector, sign, symbol, index, indice, indicator, point, pointer, exponent, note, token, symptom, dollar sign, dollar mark, type, figure, emblem, cipher, device, representation, epigraph, motto, posy, gesture, gesticulation, pantomime, wink, glance, leer, nod, shrug, beck, touch, nudge, dactylology, dactylonomy, freemasonry, telegraphy, chirology, byplay, dumb show, cue, hint, clue, clew, key, scent, signal, signal post, rocket, blue light, watch fire, watch tower, telegraph, semaphore, flagstaff, cresset, fiery cross, calumet, heliograph, guidon, headlight, mark, scratch, line, stroke, dash, score, stripe, streak, tick, dot, point, notch, nick, print, imprint, impress, impression, keyboard symbols, printing symbols, red letter, italics, sublineation, underlining, bold font, jotting, note, annotation, reference, blaze, cedilla, guillemets, hachure, quotation marks, ", double quotes, " ", parentheses, "( )", brackets, "", braces, "", left arrow, "<", right arrow, ">", forward slash, "/", backward slash, "\", exclamation point, "!", commercial at, "@", pound sign, "#", percent sign, "%", carat, "", ampersand, "&", asterisk, "*", hyphen, "-", dash, "-", "_", em dash, "--", plus sign, "+", equals sign, "=", question mark, "?", period, ", ", semicolon, ", ", colon, ":", comma, ", ", apostrophe, "'", single quote, "'", tilde, "~", badge, criterion, countercheck, countermark, countersign, counterfoil, duplicate, tally, label, ticket, billet, letter, counter, check, chip, chop, dib, totem, tessera, card, bill, witness, voucher, stamp, cacher, trade mark, Hall mark, signature, mark, autograph, autography, attestation, hand, hand writing, sign manual, cipher, seal, sigil, signet, hand and seal, paraph, brand, superscription, indorsement, endorsement, password, watchword, catchword, security card, pass, passkey, credentials, open sesame, timbrology, mot de passe, mot du guet, pass-parole, shibboleth, title, heading, docket, address card, visiting card, carte de visite, insignia, banner, banneret, bannerol, bandrol, flag, colors, streamer, standard, eagle, labarum, oriflamb, oriflamme, figurehead, ensign, pennon, pennant, pendant, burgee, blue Peter, jack, ancient, gonfalon, union jack, banderole, old glory, quarantine flag, vexillum, yellow-flag, yellow jack, tricolor, stars and stripes, bunting, heraldry, crest, coat of arms, arms, armorial bearings, hatchment, escutcheon, scutcheon, shield, supporters, livery, uniform, cockade, epaulet, chevron, garland, love knot, favor, beacon, cairn, post, staff, flagstaff, hand, pointer, vane, cock, weathercock, guidepost, handpost, fingerpost, directing post, signpost, pillars of Hercules, pharos, bale-fire, beacon-fire, l'etoile du Nord, landmark, seamark, lighthouse, balize, polestar, loadstar, lodestar, cynosure, guide, address, direction, name, sign, signboard, warning, omen, prefigurement, trace, record, warning &c, alarm, scepter, trophy, gauge, milestone, milepost, brand, fool's cap, check, telltale, test, mileage ticket, milliary, notification, advertisement, word of command, call, bugle call, trumpet call, bell, alarum, cry, battle cry, rallying cry, angelus, reveille, sacring bell, sanctus bell, exposition &c (explanation), proof, pattern, indicating, indicative, indicatory, denotative, connotative, diacritical, representative, typical, symbolic, pantomimic, pathognomonic, symptomatic, characteristic, demonstrative, diagnostic, exponential, emblematic, armorial, individual, known by, recognizable by, indicated, pointed, marked, denotable, indelible, in token of, symbolically, in dumb show, ecce signum, ex ungue leonem, ex pede Herculem, vide ut supra, vultus ariete fortior.