A curlicue, or alternatively curlycue, in the visual arts, is a fancy twist, or curl, composed usually from a series of concentric circles. It is a recurring motif in architecture (as decoration to the lintel/architrave above a door), in calligraphy and in general scrollwork. The word can also refer to a specific kind of origami, made out of a single strip of paper that can be transformed in many geometric shapes. Examples See also Scrollwork Arabesque (European art) Swash (typography) Calligraphy, in which curlicues are a frequent adornment of lavish text Sinhala script, the script used to write the Sinhala language, composed almost entirely of curlicues Visual motifs Ornaments