Jheri curl

English

Alternative forms

• Jerry curl, jerry curl, Jeri curl

Etymology

Named after American hairdresser Jheri Redding (1907–1998), its inventor.

Noun

Jheri curl (plural Jheri curls)

1. A hairstyle popular with the African-American community in the 1980s, giving a glossy, loosely curled look.
   • 1989, Spike Lee, Do the Right Thing, spoken by Mister Senor Love Daddy (Samuel L. Jackson):

     Today's temperature's gonna rise up over 100 degrees, so there's a Jheri curl alert! That's right, Jheri curl alert. If you have a Jheri curl, stay in the house or you'll end up with a permanent black helmet on your head fuh-eva!

   • 2014, Marlon James, A Brief History of Seven Killings, Oneworld Publications (2015), page 517:

     Eye shadow but no lipstick, Jheri curl drying out.

   • 2020, Romeo Conway, Stop Faking for Stripes‎^[1], Trafford Publishing, →ISBN:

     His little Jheri curl shined under the car's light. He looked hood.