Moustache-twirling
noun, slang
noun, slang ·Uncommon ·College level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Behavior associated with villainy. colloquial, figuratively
"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."
- 2 An instance of twirling one's moustache.
Example
More examples"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."
Etymology
The act being a visual trope in film parodies of villains from 19th century melodrama.
More for "moustache-twirling"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.