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candy cane

candy cane

22 1.0
A hard sweet stick with red and white stripes that tastes like mint and is used at Christmas
  • noun
  • /ˈkændi keɪn/
translation icon : bastón de caramelo
  • "Ah, that's too bad." Martin gave her another candy cane from the extras he kept in a pouch.
  • crush candy canes
  • chocolate candy canes
  • giant candy canes

I mean, candy cane does taste like mint, doesn't it?

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Examples

  • Start by hot gluing two candy canes into the shape of a heart.

    Blog text (2)
  • I guess when most people think of Christmas, they think of roasting chestnuts and candy canes.

    Academic text (1991)
  • Santa gets a candy cane, too?

  • Use red ribbon to hang the candy cane on your tree or to tie it on a present.

    Blog text (2)
  • Yeah, put more candy canes on this side.

  • Thank you, but I never really liked candy canes.

  • All right, that's not how a candy cane should look, but OK.

  • Some years ago, he was pricing commercial candy canes when inspiration struck.

    Blog text (18)
  • Welcome to the North Pole, the land of Christmas wishes and candy cane kisses.

  • During the holiday season, children love to receive candy canes as a festive treat.

Synonyms

peppermint
vscandy cane
21 1.0

A small sweet candy flavored with mint oil to freshen the breath

is a festive red and white striped hard stick served at Christmas
peppermint candy
vscandy cane
1 1.5

A small hard sweet with a strong mint taste often red and white

is a festive red and white striped hard stick served at Christmas
mint candy
vscandy cane
1 1.0

A small sweet with a mint taste that is often hard or chewy

is a festive red and white striped hard stick served at Christmas

Surface Forms

candy cane singular
candy canes plural

Morphology

candy + cane

The basic meaning 'a stick of candy' is compositionally clear: 'candy' (a sweet) combined with 'cane' (a stick) yields a stick-shaped sweet, so learners who know both words can infer the core sense. Details like red-and-white stripes, peppermint flavor and the Christmas association are cultural specifications not directly predictable from the constituents, but they do not prevent the expression's core transparency.

Etymology

Candy cane began as a plain white sugar stick that churches gave to children to keep them quiet at a 'Christmas' service. People bent the cane into a hook like a 'shepherd's crook' and later added red stripes and 'peppermint', so today candy cane means the red-and-white sweet we give at 'Christmas'.