prickly custard apple
- noun
- /ˈprɪkli ˈkʌstərd ˈæpl/
- US
:
guanábana
- The spiky skin of the prickly custard apple protects its soft, tangy flesh inside.
Examples
-
The prickly custard apple thrives in warm, humid climates throughout Central and South America.
-
She made a refreshing juice from the ripe prickly custard apple she bought at the market.
-
The prickly custard apple is native to tropical America.
-
Have you ever tasted a prickly custard apple?
-
She made a refreshing juice from the ripe prickly custard apple she bought at the market.
-
The prickly custard apple thrives in warm, humid climates throughout Central and South America.
-
The spiky skin of the prickly custard apple protects its soft, tangy flesh inside.
Synonyms
1
7.7
A small tropical tree that makes a large spiky fruit with sour, juicy flesh
A small tropical American tree that produces a large soft fruit with a sour taste
A small tropical tree that grows large soft fruit with a slightly sour taste
A large tropical fruit with spiny skin and soft white flesh that tastes sweet and sour
How Spiny
69
1.8
1
4.6
- US
15
5.6
5
1.0
583
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase is compositional: 'custard apple' denotes an apple-like fruit with a soft, custard-like pulp and 'prickly' straightforwardly describes a spiny/thorny quality. A B1 learner who knows the constituent words can therefore infer this refers to a spiny tropical fruit/tree, so the expression is predictable from its parts.
Etymology
The name prickly custard apple comes from the fruit's look: prickly for its spiky skin and custard apple for the soft, creamy flesh inside. So today prickly custard apple simply means the spiny fruit with sweet, custard-like flesh.