Over the years I’ve heard loads of other foreign friends, visitors and tourists equally irate when discussing he matter. Where were the manners? Where was the civility? Had Dutch people somehow missed that basic childhood lesson of not cutting in line!Īpparently, Dutchies can be obedient little queuing masters when a new Abercrombie & Fitch store opens in Amsterdam!īut it wasn’t just me. When I was fresh-off-the-boat it used to drive me utterly mad. Venturing into the city was an exhausting pursuit: my lack of language skills coupled with Dutch people’s lack of queuing-manners used to make my blood boil. It must be said: Dutch people have an utter disregard for lines, queuing and generally waiting their turn. Just who defined this set definition of normal? Was I now on the path of becoming one of them? □ What did this signify? I’d always laughed at the associations of that culturally ingrained Dutch phrase. No other English or Dutch phrase could have said it better. The Dutch phrase escaped my lips even before I had time to think about my response ( let alone the language would be in). I suppose it could be seen as completing some imaginary level of Dutch integration. But apparently I wasn’t stopping there, as I followed up with a loud “ doe eens normaal!!”. The perpetrator’s head snapped back to look at me immediately. And so, loudly, and brimming with 9 years of ‘ why-the-heck-can-you-people-not-learn-to-wait-your-turn’ angst, a little Dutch word escaped my lips. Today I was hot and tired, and baby was even more hot and tired and together we weren’t the loveliest of duos. I had seen it happen time and time again, but today was different. This was no accidental case of ‘overlooking’ the line. There was clearly a line of customers in sight, and clearly others were waiting ( and waiting) patiently to be served. Weighed down by an active 1.5 year old, a bag of groceries, and 2 parcels to ship as gifts to the other side of the world – a Dutch person casually sauntered into the store, glanced at the existing line of customers waiting on the 15-year-old to figure out the Dutch postal system, and nonchalantly proceeded to walk up to the counter and place their order. I was waiting in line at the paracetamol/cigarettes/shavers/post/randomness counter ( you know the one!). It happened in the most pedestrian of places, the Albert Heijn. ![]() I learnt my lesson on “never say neverin this country, but as these innocuous sounding words slipped out of my lips, I too was in disbelief. And if you’d like any more help with your writing, don’t forget our proofreading experts are always available.I’ve done something I never dreamed I would do, something I’ve grumbled and blogged about. Note that ‘queue’ has a lot of vowels, almost like they’re waiting in line after the ‘q’! Keep this in mind if you struggle to tell these words apart. Queue refers to a line of people waiting for something.These words sound the same, but they differ completely in usage: (Photo: hulkiokantabak) Summary: Cue or Queue? However, some people and publications prefer ‘queueing’, and both forms are acceptable as long as you are consistent.įinally, keep in mind that ‘queue’ is rare in American English! If you’re writing for a US audience, then, you might want to say ‘line’ (noun) and ‘wait in line’ (verb). an -ing verb), the most common spelling is ‘queuing’. When you use ‘queue’ as a present participle (i.e. They queued up outside, waiting for the shop to open. We will queue for hours to buy tickets for the concert. The queue of cars stretched back for miles.Īs a verb, meanwhile, it refers to the act of waiting in line: Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter!Ī queue of people waited to board the bus. (Photo: analogicus) Queue (Wait in a Line)Īs a noun, ‘queue’ refers to a line of waiting people or vehicles: In these cases, a ‘cue’ is the rod used to strike the white ‘cue’ ball. I’ll cue you when I want you to start speaking.Īlternatively, ‘cue’ can be used in relation to games like snooker, pool, and billiards. We can also use this word as a verb to mean ‘give someone a signal’: When he started clearing up the empty bottles, I knew it was a cue to go home. The arrival of the bridal couple was our cue to open the champagne. ![]() More generally, though, ‘cue’ can refer to any signal or prompt for action: The actor missed the cue for his big speech. Traditionally, this came from the world of acting, where a ‘cue’ is a signal for a performer: Cue (Signal)Īs a noun, ‘cue’ typically refers to a signal or prompt to take action. The words ‘cue’ and ‘queue’ sound the same, but these are very different terms! To find out how to use them correctly in your writing, check out our guide below.
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