eye candy
6
6.3
- noun
- /ˈaɪ ˈkændi/
- Slang
:
carnada visual
- The Pop Culture exhibit next door was filled with eye candy.
- eye candy at its best
They are just there to, I don't know, it's eye candy a lot of the time.
- They are just there to, I don't know, it's eye candy a lot of the time.
- And part of that process, it turns out, means hiding the truth and giving you eye candy.
- Just give me some eye candy for the bosons.
- Mom's not swimming, but it's good eye candy for her.
- I and Abbott Elementary I adore because it's fun and Emily in Paris is fun and it's eye candy.
Examples
-
1, 2, 3 not as much, but nonetheless they were definitely eye candy.
Blog text (2) -
There are still artists right now that view a backup singer as eye candy.
-
So they set up the cards, I believe, to feed us a little eye candy to enjoy during each match.
Blog text (10) -
So why do they call you "eye candy"?
-
Patrick sure provided some good eye candy in this film; he was such an...
Blog text (13) -
Sometimes they let you in just 'cause you're eye candy.
-
Without a doubt, there's plenty of eye candy to enjoy, critics say, but the substance is lacking.
Blog text (20) -
I downloaded my copy the other day and am drooling over all of the holiday eye candy!
Blog text (11) -
Most design blogs have great photos, and wedding blogs are great for eye candy.
Blog text (2) -
The art exhibit was filled with stunning eye candy that captivated everyone who walked through.
Antonyms
How Substantive
1
2.5
- Offensive
1
7.6
- Informal
1
3.6
- Slang
6
6.3
Surface Forms
Morphology
eye + candy
The phrase is a straightforward metaphor: 'eye' (vision) + 'candy' (a sweet treat) yields 'a treat for the eyes' — something pleasant to look at. This compositional mapping is highly predictable and cross-linguistically accessible, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will very likely infer the meaning.
Etymology
Eye candy probably comes from the image of food for the eyes, like a sweet treat you enjoy looking at. Because eye and candy make this picture, the phrase means something that is 'attractive to look at' but not very useful or deep.