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

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.