Regimental tails were ordered to be nine inches long."īy 1924, the term had been adopted as a verb, queueing or queuing, defined as "to stand in or join a line." The plural of queue is queues. In 1810, William Duane defined queue as follows: "From the French, which signifies tail an appendage that every British soldier is directed to wear in lieu of a club. Although typically associated with Native Americans, queue also has military significance. Others have referred to a queue as "a braid of hair usually worn hanging at the back of the head." This particular usage originated in the eighteenth century. Where Did the Word Queue Come From? The word queue stems from the twelfth century and refers to the Old French word cue, coe, or queue, which means "tail." In the fifteenth century, the term reportedly transitioned to queue, also meaning "tail." The French term originally comes from the Latin word coda (dialectal variant or alternative form of cauda), which also means "tail." In any case, the use of either queue or line is commonly accepted.
#Cue vs queue how to
Queue definition, according to the Cambridge Dictionary is "a line of people, usually standing or in cars, waiting for something." Queue definition identifies it can also function as a verb, meaning "to wait in a line of people, often to buy something." Here are some examples of how to use queue: In queue management systems, we especially see confusion in how to spell the word queue. We see examples of grammatical challenges every day – in all industries. In fact, it is reportedly one of the most difficult foreign languages to learn.
English is interesting, to say the least – it is filled with idioms, complicated grammatical rules, unusual sentence-level patterns, and homophones. White was revising The Elements of Style, one of the most influential guides to English usage in the twentieth century, he famously said, "I hate the guts of English grammar." Anyone who has studied the language might agree. And if you’d like any more help with your writing, don’t forget our proofreading experts are always available.When E.B. Note that ‘queue’ has a lot of vowels, almost like they’re waiting in line after the ‘q’! Keep this in mind if you struggle to tell these words apart. Queue refers to a line of people waiting for something.These words sound the same, but they differ completely in usage: (Photo: hulkiokantabak) Summary: Cue or Queue? However, some people and publications prefer ‘queueing’, and both forms are acceptable as long as you are consistent.įinally, keep in mind that ‘queue’ is rare in American English! If you’re writing for a US audience, then, you might want to say ‘line’ (noun) and ‘wait in line’ (verb). an -ing verb), the most common spelling is ‘queuing’. When you use ‘queue’ as a present participle (i.e.
They queued up outside, waiting for the shop to open. We will queue for hours to buy tickets for the concert. The queue of cars stretched back for miles.Īs a verb, meanwhile, it refers to the act of waiting in line: Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter!Ī queue of people waited to board the bus. (Photo: analogicus) Queue (Wait in a Line)Īs a noun, ‘queue’ refers to a line of waiting people or vehicles:
In these cases, a ‘cue’ is the rod used to strike the white ‘cue’ ball. I’ll cue you when I want you to start speaking.Īlternatively, ‘cue’ can be used in relation to games like snooker, pool, and billiards. We can also use this word as a verb to mean ‘give someone a signal’: When he started clearing up the empty bottles, I knew it was a cue to go home.
The arrival of the bridal couple was our cue to open the champagne. More generally, though, ‘cue’ can refer to any signal or prompt for action: The actor missed the cue for his big speech. Traditionally, this came from the world of acting, where a ‘cue’ is a signal for a performer: Cue (Signal)Īs a noun, ‘cue’ typically refers to a signal or prompt to take action. The words ‘cue’ and ‘queue’ sound the same, but these are very different terms! To find out how to use them correctly in your writing, check out our guide below.