Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun One of a pair of round metal cymbals attached to the fingers and struck together for rhythm and percussion in belly dancing.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A kind of
cymbals .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun one of a pair of small metallic cymbals worn on the thumb and middle finger; used in belly dancing in rhythm with the dance
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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It does not make any functional difference to the performance unless you’re at a professional level, so yes, the idea of zill mufflers is silly, however pretty they are.
finger cymbals too loud? problem solved: crocheted zill covers « raincoaster 2007
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Guidance systems, space hardned electronics and computers, life support systems, tracking technology, radio communications, materials for space suits, research in osteroporosis,… and many many thousands of things thet you zill find back in very day life without realizing it that this is the result of human space exploration.
NASA manager says Shuttle Extension Possible; Key Issue Is Money not Safety | Universe Today 2010
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The Secondhand Gypsies played "Brooklyn Baladi", so I tried to dance it with my new, humongous zills...but I mistakenly put them on the wrong fingers, so one zill kept slipping off.
June 29th, 2009 madkestrel 2009
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You can make them either by cutting off the toes of old socks and sewing elastic around the edge so they fit snuggly around the zill or you can cut out a piece of fabric that is slightly bigger then the circumference of the zills and then attach the elastic to the edge of the fabric and make sure it fits snuggly around the zill.
finger cymbals too loud? problem solved: crocheted zill covers « raincoaster 2007
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Also, I bought my zills after class (the Arabesque ones) and so I took them home and sewed on the elastic and my favorite beads on the thumbs (so you can tell them apart) and then sewed a very proud making zill bag with some black silk and my left over trim and tassels and some ribbon.
finger cymbals too loud? problem solved: crocheted zill covers « raincoaster 2007
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I find you can go a long way towards getting the routine down just bashing your fingers together, zill-less.
finger cymbals too loud? problem solved: crocheted zill covers « raincoaster 2007
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For the entire third of it that had anything to do with zill covers I found the post to be humourous, generally.
finger cymbals too loud? problem solved: crocheted zill covers « raincoaster 2007
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If you take into consideration the fact that we call her Molasses Cat, you can probably guess how much zill-induced rage I must have created in her tiny, furry little bod.
finger cymbals too loud? problem solved: crocheted zill covers « raincoaster 2007
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In any case, the covers themselves are pretty enough, and in a nice, sparkly yarn might even add a tantalizing “you can glimpse the zill, but you cannot touch it” piquance to the zill-dancing experience, or perhaps that is only for those who identify too closely with inanimate brass objects, not that we know anyone like that around here.
finger cymbals too loud? problem solved: crocheted zill covers « raincoaster 2007
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All I did was cut out a circle of felt the same size as the zill.
finger cymbals too loud? problem solved: crocheted zill covers « raincoaster 2007
qms commented on the word zill
Though chilled by his years some cues still
Recall to him youth's ardent thrill,
So gyrating flesh
He admires afresh
When warmed by the sound of the zill.
November 28, 2014
bilby commented on the word zill
I'm charmed by qms' verbal matrix
And prowess as a verse dominatrix
Just give him a chance
With a cymbal & dance
And he'll conjure a gem from his box-o'-tricks
November 28, 2014
qms commented on the word zill
dominatrix?
My feelings, not normally tender,
Rebel at confusion of gender.
If I bully rhymes
(And roughly at times)
Why think I'm a female offender?
In fairness, bilby does not mislead. He uses the masculine pronoun in line 3 so he does no more than confuse the literal-minded. Still, I had rhymes to use up.
November 28, 2014
bilby commented on the word zill
I'm sure The Common People of Wordnik will fully subscribe to the image of qms in tight black vinyl whipping pesky obscurantia into digestible five-line verse.
November 29, 2014
qms commented on the word zill
Has somebody been spying on me?
November 29, 2014
tankhughes commented on the word zill
https://www.adcouncil.org/our-causes/teen-mental-health
Some kind of teen mental health campaign??
"That's what zilling is all about. Zill means taking action to show love to your mind on good, bad or whatever days. It can look different for everyone."
"Zill (verb): Any action to show love to your mind on good, bad or whatever days."
"Zill is a word to help us name the everyday ways we show love to our minds. It’s a simple reminder that our mental health is something we can impact through our own choices, habits and actions — big and small, on good days and on hard ones.
Zill was developed in close collaboration with teens and mental health experts, who highlighted a clear gap: teens hear a lot about mental health, but the conversation often centers on struggles and crisis. What’s missing is how caring for our minds shows up in daily life — the consistent, supportive actions that help us feel steady, connected and well.
Caring for our minds can look different for everyone. Spending time with friends, playing sports, making art, getting outside, taking a moment to breathe — these habits matter, and zill gives us the language to recognize and build the everyday practices that support our mental well‑being.
Zill began as part of the Ad Council’s “Love, Your Mind” initiative, a broader effort to shift culture around mental health. It’s supported by the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation."
October 21, 2026