Note of admiration

the mark (!), called also exclamation point.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, published 1913 by G. & C. Merriam Co.

References in classic literature ?

The shadow of the pendent queue, however, kept moodily apart, near the roof at the further end of the room, looking like a note of admiration. The song of the pines outside had now risen to the dignity of a triumphal hymn.

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A dark space was plainly visible between the two, and the new illumination was placed beneath the other, the whole forming an appearance not unlike an inverted note of admiration. It was soon evident that the latter was nothing but the reflection, from the water, of the former, and that the object, whatever it might be, was advancing across, or rather over the lake, for it seemed to be several feet above its surface, in a direct line with themselves.

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But, two or three weeks ago, Twemlow, sitting over his newspaper, and over his dry-toast and weak tea, and over the stable-yard in Duke Street, St James's, received a highly-perfumed cocked-hat and monogram from Mrs Veneering, entreating her dearest Mr T., if not particularly engaged that day, to come like a charining soul and make a fourth at dinner with dear Mr Podsnap, for the discussion of an interesting family topic; the last three words doubly underlined and pointed with a note of admiration. And Twemlow replying, 'Not engaged, and more than delighted,' goes, and this takes place:

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And the note of admiration rang in my voice, though I tried in my self-consciousness to keep it out.

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Now, like then, we read about the losses to businesses and the harm caused to victims, but despite it all but there remains, throughout the coverage, a note of admiration for the culprits.

Drills, dynamite and derring-do: Why we love a diamond heist; The Hatton Garden break-in in London has reminded us all how much we all like to pore over the detail of daring crimes, says DAVID CHURCHILL

It also permits a note of admiration in Prospero's anger at being so defied, foreshadowing the softening of his rage into forgiveness.

The Tempest

In other words, according to most schoolmasters studied, those punctuation marks considered of primary importance for the composition and reading of a text are the comma, the colon, the full stop, the note of admiration and the note of interrogation; some of them also include either the semicolon (3) or the parenthesis, and other ones both.