Etymology

tickle the ivories

tick·le the ivo·ries

Today it means: To play a piano or other keyboard instrument. Full definition →

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The story

From tickle (“to touch (something) lightly”) + the + ivories (“(informal) keys of a piano or other keyboard instrument”) (from the fact that such keys used to be made from ivory).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.