🥌

Curling Stone

KUR-ling stohn
Activities Unicode 5.0 uncommon

Meanings

1
Sports · Winter uncommon

A granite stone used in the winter sport of curling, where players slide these stones across ice toward a target while teammates sweep the ice to influence direction and distance.

Most commonly used when discussing winter sports, Olympics, or activities in cold climates.

Watching the Olympic curling finals tonight! 🥌 Such a strategic game! 📋 Social media during Winter Olympics
Just tried curling for the first time! Harder than it looks to control that 🥌 📋 Instagram caption

Strongly associated with Canada and Scotland, where curling has significant cultural importance.

Combos with 🥌

🥌🧹
Represents curling with both the stone and sweeping broom.
Most accurate representation of the sport, showing both key elements.
🥌🇨🇦
References Canada's strong curling tradition and success.
Acknowledges Canada as a dominant force in international curling.
🥌❄️
Winter sports, specifically curling.
Used during winter months or Winter Olympics discussions.

Culture

Curling originated in Scotland in the 16th century and is often called 'chess on ice' due to its strategic complexity despite simple appearance.

While globally recognized through Olympic coverage, curling has deep cultural significance primarily in Canada, Scotland, and Scandinavian countries.

The emoji's introduction coincided with increased digital conversation about curling during the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Canada Widely recognized and frequently used in Canada, where curling is considered a national sport with deep cultural roots.
United Kingdom Particularly recognized in Scotland, where curling originated in the 16th century.
Gen_X: Primarily used during Olympic conversations or in communities where curling is popular.
Gen_Z: Occasionally used in memes about niche or unexpected sports. May be used ironically when discussing unusual hobbies.
Older: Limited usage, mostly by those with personal connection to curling or during major international competitions.
Millennials: Used straightforwardly to discuss Olympic events or winter sports activities, often with genuine interest.

History

2018

Added to Unicode 11.0 during the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, when curling gained increased global attention.

Growing international interest in curling during the Winter Olympics.

2018

Popularity spike following viral memes about Olympic curlers, particularly the US men's team winning gold.

Unexpected US gold medal and increased social media coverage of curling.