If you read what you linked, the meaning where they overlap is in the sense of a tail or something hanging down. The cue in the sense it’s used here, as a prompt to act, was in use since the 1500s in theater. The use of queue to mean a line only began in the 1800s and probably came out of the now basically unused meaning of cue/queue to refer to a tail-like thing. Curly cue and pool cue are the only remaining uses I can think of. Queue has basically lost that meaning in favor of its new one thanks to IT applications. It does not mention cue ever taking any line-related meaning.
There’s a fundamental misunderstanding; the original commenter didn’t mean to use the line-style “queue” meaning, they were using it by mistake and even admitted that in a follow-on comment. They meant “cue” by its distinct definition, not the one that overlapped with “queue” long ago. It wasn’t a spelling correction – it was a homophone correction. It wasn’t a suggestion to queue up some Mitch Hedberg on yt, it was a cue for him to enter because one of his trademark jokes is about escalators.
Right but that “queue” is in reference to the stack or list of videos. Not the actual of starting or signaling to start of a video. When you hit play you are cueing a video in the queue.
When using “queue” or “cue,” the context is crucial for deciding which word is appropriate. The word “cue” refers to a signal for action, especially in theater, to prompt someone to do something. It’s been used in this sense since the 1500s. On the other hand, “queue” generally refers to a line or sequence of people or things waiting their turn. This meaning originated in the 1800s.
In the context of this debate:
Cue: When saying “Cue Mitch Hedberg,” the word “cue” is being used correctly. It’s like saying, “Now enter Mitch Hedberg,” or “Prompt the appearance or mention of Mitch Hedberg.” It’s a signal for something specific to happen or appear, especially in a performance or presentation context.
Queue: The argument for “queue” seems to be based on the YouTube context, where videos are lined up to play one after the other, hence the term “play queue.” While it’s true that watching a video on YouTube involves adding it to a play queue, the term “queue” in the sense of “Queue Mitch Hedberg” would imply adding him to a waiting list or sequence, which isn’t the intended meaning here.
And actually as far as I can see, there isn’t actually a play queue when you just click on a single video. So if the original commenter was truly trying to say “add Mitch Hedberg to your queue of videos”, fine. However, I have strong doubts about that being what they meant.
*cue
Removed by mod
If only there were some way to fix your earlier comment
Removed by mod
Que?
They have somewhat distinct uses today, but cue in this sense is an alternative spelling of queue:
https://www.etymonline.com/word/cue
If you read what you linked, the meaning where they overlap is in the sense of a tail or something hanging down. The cue in the sense it’s used here, as a prompt to act, was in use since the 1500s in theater. The use of queue to mean a line only began in the 1800s and probably came out of the now basically unused meaning of cue/queue to refer to a tail-like thing. Curly cue and pool cue are the only remaining uses I can think of. Queue has basically lost that meaning in favor of its new one thanks to IT applications. It does not mention cue ever taking any line-related meaning.
It’s not an “alternative spelling” if the words deviated 300 years ago.
Eh. In this circumstance, when you watch a video on YouTube, you’re literally adding it to a queue. Both queue and cue are appropriate.
Not really.
Yes really. There is a “now playing” queue that is active even when you’re watching a single video.
There’s a fundamental misunderstanding; the original commenter didn’t mean to use the line-style “queue” meaning, they were using it by mistake and even admitted that in a follow-on comment. They meant “cue” by its distinct definition, not the one that overlapped with “queue” long ago. It wasn’t a spelling correction – it was a homophone correction. It wasn’t a suggestion to queue up some Mitch Hedberg on yt, it was a cue for him to enter because one of his trademark jokes is about escalators.
Right but that “queue” is in reference to the stack or list of videos. Not the actual of starting or signaling to start of a video. When you hit play you are cueing a video in the queue.
When using “queue” or “cue,” the context is crucial for deciding which word is appropriate. The word “cue” refers to a signal for action, especially in theater, to prompt someone to do something. It’s been used in this sense since the 1500s. On the other hand, “queue” generally refers to a line or sequence of people or things waiting their turn. This meaning originated in the 1800s.
In the context of this debate:
Cue: When saying “Cue Mitch Hedberg,” the word “cue” is being used correctly. It’s like saying, “Now enter Mitch Hedberg,” or “Prompt the appearance or mention of Mitch Hedberg.” It’s a signal for something specific to happen or appear, especially in a performance or presentation context.
Queue: The argument for “queue” seems to be based on the YouTube context, where videos are lined up to play one after the other, hence the term “play queue.” While it’s true that watching a video on YouTube involves adding it to a play queue, the term “queue” in the sense of “Queue Mitch Hedberg” would imply adding him to a waiting list or sequence, which isn’t the intended meaning here.
And actually as far as I can see, there isn’t actually a play queue when you just click on a single video. So if the original commenter was truly trying to say “add Mitch Hedberg to your queue of videos”, fine. However, I have strong doubts about that being what they meant.
The word is “cue”.
I do not find your “queue” arguments remotely persuasive.
I yield, I yield!