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Glite Dictionary
licorice stick

licorice stick

8.7
A clarinet often used in jazz bands
  • noun
  • /ˈlɪkərɪʃ stɪk/
  • Archaic
translation icon : clarinete
  • The jazz musician played a soulful solo on his licorice stick during the concert.

Examples

  • She learned to play the licorice stick in middle school and has loved it ever since.

  • Many classic jazz bands featured a licorice stick as part of their ensemble sound.

  • He played the licorice stick beautifully.

  • The licorice sticks in the band were well-tuned.

  • Many classic jazz bands featured a licorice stick as part of their ensemble sound.

  • The jazz musician played a soulful solo on his licorice stick during the concert.

  • She learned to play the licorice stick in middle school and has loved it ever since.

Synonyms

clarinet
vslicorice stick
42 3.1

A wind instrument with a straight tube and a mouthpiece with a thin vibrating reed

is an informal name for this woodwind often used for the common middle range
B-flat clarinet
vslicorice stick
4.4

A clarinet tuned to B-flat that is commonly used in bands and orchestras

is an informal name for that instrument especially the standard middle range

Surface Forms

licorice stick singular
licorice sticks plural

Morphology

licorice + stick

This is a slang/metaphoric nickname for a clarinet based on visual resemblance to a long black candy, so the specific instrument meaning is not directly derivable from the literal words 'licorice' and 'stick'. A B1 learner who knows the constituent words might guess a long black object or a candy on a stick, but would be unlikely to infer 'clarinet' without prior exposure or contextual clues.

Etymology

Licorice stick The name licorice stick comes from the instrument's long, thin, black look—like a piece of black licorice and a narrow stick. That's why musicians used licorice stick as a friendly 'slang' name for the 'clarinet'.