hair-curling

See also: haircurling and hair curling

English

Alternative forms

• hair curling, haircurling

Adjective

hair-curling (comparative more hair-curling, superlative most hair-curling)

1. Exciting, astonishing, frightening, or horrifying.
   • 1943 March 14, Arthur Otis, “Belden Pens a Hair-Curling Story of Disaster in Burma”, in Chicago Daily Tribune, retrieved 9 November 2010, page F10:

     But, first and foremost, "Retreat with Stilwell" is a rip snorting, spine tingling, hair curling story, and as such it is quite likely to hold you.

   • 1960 February 7, Lewis Nichols, “In and Out of Books”, in New York Times, page BR8:

     Many of Mr. Dahl's stories are hair-curling tales of man's inhumanity to man, particularly woman's to man.

   • 1976 July 18, Eugene Patterson, “They're not saying ‘Jimmy Who?’”, in St. Petersburg Times, retrieved 9 November 2010:

     [T]he era of good feeling Carter has created in his party . . . could be a prelude to an activist presidency bent on shaking and changing the status quo with hair-curling audacity.

   • 2008 October 7, J. Gibson, E. Tadros, “A touch of nostalgia up for grabs”, in Sydney Morning Herald, Australia, retrieved 9 November 2010:

     If the walls . . . could talk, they would reveal some hair-curling secrets.

Synonyms

• hair-raising

Related terms

• curl someone's hair