Words / B2

KYOO/kjuː/

A cue is a signal to begin, in theatre or conversation; also a long stick in snooker or pool: miss a cue; a cue card. Clue is a piece of evidence (already in the dictionary) — classic trap. Queue is a line of people (already elsewhere). Miss the cue in the transcript and the turn-taking analysis collapses. Mix-up: clue / queue. Do not write cue for a mystery hint (that is a clue).

Meaning

A signal to begin, in theatre or conversation; also a long stick in snooker or pool.

Examples

• “Miss the cue in the transcript and the turn-taking analysis collapses.”
• “A snooker cue featured in the PE source, which is the stick sense.”

Good to know

a cue; on cue; cue card; snooker cue. Evidence: clue. Line of people: queue. Drama, language, and sport. A signal to start, or a snooker stick — not a clue.

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