Dictionary

wrylie en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈɹaɪli/

Etymology

Screenwriting jargon, originally a deliberate misspelling of wryly.

Meanings

1. A parenthetical direction in a screenplay, especially in an instance of overuse.
   • Avoid putting in a wrylie what should be in an action line. (walking faster) (looking her up and down) (peering over the edge of the cliff) (pouring coffee) 2020, Julie Gray, Just Effing Entertain Me: A Screenwriter's Atlas:
   • 2021, Trevor Mayes, "10 Rules For Using Parentheticals In Your Screenplay" Parentheticals, or actor/character directions, or “wrylies,” are those little descriptions that sometimes appear after a character’s name, in dialogue blocks, to spell out tone, intent or action.
2. (derogatory, humorous) A prosaic phrase, typically including an adverb with the -ly suffix, that attributes dialogue to a character.

Forms

Relateds

Tom Swifty