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Glite Dictionary
molasses kiss

molasses kiss

8.6
A small chewy sweet made from thick dark sugar syrup, often wrapped
  • noun
  • /məˈlæsɪz kɪs/
  • US
translation icon : caramelo de melaza
  • Every Halloween, my grandmother would hand out homemade molasses kisses to the neighborhood children.

Examples

  • The wrapper of the molasses kiss stuck slightly, but the candy was worth the effort.

  • I love molasses kisses during the holidays.

  • He reminisced about the molasses kiss treats he enjoyed during his childhood in Canada.

  • Have you ever tried a molasses kiss?

  • My grandmother's homemade molasses kisses were always my favorite Halloween treat.

  • During family gatherings, we enjoyed sharing molasses kisses from the local candy shop.

  • As a child, I looked forward to receiving a molasses kiss in my Halloween bag every year.

Synonyms

molasses taffy
vsmolasses kiss
  • US
5.8

A chewy candy made from molasses

is usually individually wrapped and has a firm toffee-like texture
candy kiss
vsmolasses kiss
  • US
2.3

A small wrapped piece of chocolate you eat in one bite

is a chewy syrup-based confection rather than a small chocolate piece

How Chewy

taffy
  • US
16 4.2
molasses kiss
  • US
8.6
hard candy
  • US
7 1.0

Surface Forms

molasses kiss singular
molasses kisses plural

Morphology

molasses + kiss

The meaning is straightforwardly composed from 'molasses' (a dark syrup) and 'kiss' (a small candy), so a learner who knows both words can infer a small candy made with molasses. This compositional, literal naming follows regular English noun-noun formation and is therefore immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Molasses kiss may come from the picture of a small sweet called a kiss made from thick, sticky molasses. That's why the name now means a chewy candy often wrapped on its own.