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46 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, January 19, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend December 13, 2003 Since You Asked Origin of ‘cue’ raises questions After seeing a play recently in which an actor seemed to miss a cue, the question came up in a discussion of where the word "cue" came from. We thought maybe it was related to a "queue" you stand in to await your turn, since the cue means it’s the actor’s turn to speak. Good theory, no? —Bill B., Ashland Good theory, yes, Bill, but the answer is far from clear. There is a theater tradition that q was an abbreviation for quando , Latin for "when," to tell actors when to enter or speak their lines. Shakespeare spelled cue as "q." Only trouble is, no scripts with the word quando used in that way have been found. Cue may indeed come from queue (and the Latin cauda ), which meant a long plait or pigtail of hair like sailors wore. In this view, the end of one speech is the "tail" leading to another. The trouble with this theory is, "cue" didn’t come along for centuries after q was used in scripts. Until somebody finds something we’ve all overlooked, "cue" will remain one of those stubborn words marked "origin obscure." Send questions to "Since You Asked," Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by e-mail to [email protected] . We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times