Word.ws English Dictionary

mustache-twirling

mustache-twirling is the alternative form of moustache-twirling.

Meaning of moustache-twirling

Noun

moustache-twirling (plural moustache-twirlings)

  1. (colloquial, figuratively) Behavior associated with villainy.
    • Now, Walter Huston is not of the eyebrow-waving school of cinema actors. He does not go in for moustache-twirling nor nostril-quivering. His is a strong, forceful character. He is not a magazine-cover lad.1937 February, American Society of Cinematographers, Inc., American Cinematographer (Feb 1937)
  2. (literal) An instance of twirling one's moustache.

Forms of mustache-twirling

pluralmustache-twirlings

Questions about mustache-twirling

What is mustache-twirling the alternative form of?
Mustache-twirling is the alternative form of moustache-twirling.

Words near mustache-twirling in the dictionary

  1. Mustache Pete
  2. Mustache Petes
  3. mustache ride
  4. mustache rides
  5. mustache twirling
  6. mustache-twirling
  7. mustached
  8. mustacheless
  9. mustachelike
  10. mustaches
  11. mustachey

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: mustache-twirling (page history and authors); moustache-twirling (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “mustache-twirling.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/mustache-twirling. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.