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candy man

candy man

3 3.2
A man who sells sweets to children from a cart or stall
  • noun
  • /ˈkændi mæn/
  • US
translation icon : vendedor de dulces
  • Whenever I see the candy man, I ask him for my favorite chocolate.

Examples

Synonyms

confectioner
vscandy man
8 4.1

A person or company that makes and sells sweets like chocolate and candy

is an affectionate label for a male seller who targets children

Surface Forms

candy man singular
candy men plural

Morphology

candy + man

The meaning 'a man who sells candy' is directly and compositionally derivable from combining 'candy' (sugary food) with 'man' (adult male) as a noun-noun compound. This follows a common, literal compounding pattern found across languages and may carry an affectionate nuance but remains immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Candy man comes from the simple picture of a man carrying a cart or box full of candy and calling children to buy sweets. So today candy man means 'a man who sells candy', often used 'affectionately'.