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pin curl

pin curl

1 5.8
A small curl made by twisting damp hair and holding it with a pin
  • noun
  • /pɪn kɜrl/
translation icon : rizo con horquilla
  • Two bobby pins hold her bangs in pin curls, the day's humidity ruining her hairdo.
  • hair in pin curls

Examples

  • After smoothing the hair, she wound it into pin curls and secured them with clips.

  • And I've actually booked my wash and pin curl for next week already.

  • Startled, I realized her long hair had been cut and was now in tight pin curls.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • Given the tight look of her hair, I imagined that she'd spent the time while Robbie was on the way taking down her pin curls.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Her mother woke late, her hair in pin curls wrapped in a kerchief, which she rarely bothered to undo.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Since she'd stopped working, she hadn't bothered putting pin curls in her hair at night, but now she carefully set every one of the thinning strands.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • She styled her hair into classic pin curls before the big event.

  • For the party, I decided to create some pin curls to give my look a vintage touch.

Synonyms

curl
vspin curl
76 1.0

A lock of hair shaped into a small spiral

is created by dampening, winding and fixing a coil with a pin until set
spit curl
vspin curl
  • Archaic
1 8.4

A small lock of hair styled flat on the forehead or cheek

is created by dampening, winding and fixing a coil with a pin until set

Surface Forms

pin curl singular
pin curls plural

Morphology

pin + curl

The meaning 'a curl of hair secured with a pin' is directly and literally built from the constituents 'pin' (a small fastener) + 'curl' (a ringlet of hair). This compound follows a common English noun-composition pattern and a B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer the MWE's basic meaning (even if they lack technical styling details).

Etymology

Pin curl comes from a simple hair method: a small lock is wet, rolled into a tight curl, and held in place with a pin until it dries. That's why pin curl means 'a curl of hair made and held with a pin'.