Meaning & use
spit curl
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountableold-fashioned
A small, flat curl of hair, often smoothed onto the forehead or cheek with a little water or gel.
Grammar: Usually seen in the plural: a spit curl, two spit curls.
Patterns
- a spit curl on something
The singer wore a single spit curl on her forehead, just like film stars of the 1940s.
He smoothed a spit curl against his cheek before the photo was taken.
The costume designer added spit curls to make the dancers look like a 1930s chorus line.
Word forms
| plural | spit curls |
|---|
Common combinations
- a neat spit curl
- She pinned a neat spit curl just above her ear.
- wear a spit curl
- The barber wore a spit curl as part of his retro look.
- shape a spit curl
- It takes a steady finger to shape a spit curl.
- a spit curl on the forehead
- A spit curl on the forehead is a classic 1950s style.
- retro spit curls
- The bakery staff dressed up with retro spit curls for the anniversary party.
Synonyms and how they differ
- kiss curl
- It is the more common British name for the same small curl, while 'spit curl' is mostly American.
- ringlet
- It is a longer, hanging curl, not a flat curl pressed to the skin.
- cowlick
- It is a patch of hair that grows in an awkward direction by itself, not a shaped curl.
Word family
Commonly confused: spit curl or ringlet?
spit curl vs ringlet
A ringlet is a long spiral curl that hangs down, but a spit curl is short and lies flat against the face.
Practice
Which hairstyle detail best fits a 'spit curl'?
Choose one answer.
A spit curl is a small curl smoothed flat onto the face; a long hanging spiral is a ringlet, and the other options are different styles.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “spit curl”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.