cue

Everyday

1. A signal, word or action that tells someone it is time to do something, especially an actor to speak or come on stage. tree →
2. A hint that helps you understand or remember something: «context cues», «picture cues». tree →
3. A long thin stick used to hit the ball in snooker, pool and billiards. tree →
4. (verb) To give someone a signal to start: «Cue the music!» tree →
5. (verb) To get a song or video ready at the right point to play. tree →

In the lessons

In school plays, actors wait for their cue. In reading lessons teachers talk about «picture cues» and «context cues» to work out a hard word. In everyday talk «on cue» means at exactly the right moment, and «take your cue from someone» means copy what they do. Phrases: «on cue», «right on cue», «miss your cue», «take a cue from», «cue the music», «pool cue».

Examples

• When the bell rang, that was our cue to line up. tree →
• The actor missed his cue and came on late. tree →
• Right on cue, the rain started as we left. tree →
• Use the picture cues to guess the word. tree →
• He chalked the end of his cue before taking the shot. tree →
• Cue the music! tree →
• Take your cue from the teacher and stay calm in the fire drill. tree →
• She cued up her favourite song. tree →

Note

Homophone: «queue» (a line of people) sounds exactly the same — «wait in the queue», but «wait for your cue». «Cue» is also the name of the letter Q sound. Past: «cued»; -ing: «cueing» or «cuing».