curling-tongs
Noun (plural in form but can be singular or plural in use): - Hair styling tool: "curling-tongs" refers to a device, typically consisting of two hinged metal arms, heated to curl or wave hair. It is an older term for what is now often called curling irons or hair tongs.
- (A heated tool to shape hair into curls.)
- (A historical hair styling implement.)
- (The specific tool for curling hair.)
"to use curling-tongs on someone": to style another person's hair with this tool.
- The hairdresser used curling-tongs on the client to add volume and waves. (The stylist employed the tool for hair styling.)
"curling-tongs and curling irons": often used interchangeably, though "curling-tongs" is more traditional and may imply a clamp-style design.
- Modern curling irons have replaced traditional curling-tongs in many salons. (The older tool has been superseded by newer versions.)
Curling iron (n): a modern, often electric, version of curling-tongs.
- She prefers a curling iron because it is easier to use than curling-tongs. (A contemporary tool for curling hair.)
Curling tongs (n): an alternative spelling, identical in meaning.
- The curling tongs were stored in a heat-resistant case. (The same tool, spelled differently.)
Hair tongs (n): a broader term for heated tools used to curl or straighten hair.
- Hair tongs come in various sizes for different curl types. (A category that includes curling-tongs.)
- Curling iron: a modern, often electric, tool for curling hair.
- Hair curler: a general term for any device that curls hair, including rollers.
- Tongs: in the context of hair styling, a shortened form of curling-tongs.
"Hot as curling-tongs": an old-fashioned simile meaning very hot or intense.
- The stove was as hot as curling-tongs after hours of use. (Extremely heated, like the tool after heating.)
"To have one's hair in tongs": to have curly hair styled with curling-tongs.
- She arrived with her hair in tongs, beautifully curled for the evening. (Her hair was styled using curling-tongs.)