arm candy

English

Etymology

Presumably derived from eye candy, which was first attested in 1984; the term has been attested in the USA since 1992.

Pronunciation

• Hyphenation: arm can‧dy

Noun

arm candy (uncountable)

1. (idiomatic) An attractive, seemingly romantic companion who accompanies a person in public simply so that one or both of the individuals can gain attention, enhance social status, or create an impression of sexual appeal.
   • 1992 August 21, Marcia Froelke Coburn, “Marilyn’s enduring appeal”, in Chicago Tribune^[1], archived from the original on 4 March 2016:

     All About Eve (1950, FoxVideo). [Marilyn Monroe had] already had mini-roles in eight movies when she turned up as George Sanders' arm candy in the party scenes of this film.

   • 2003 February 17, Jeffrey Ressner, “Shot on location”, in Time^[2], archived from the original on 17 April 2016:

     Friends described her as always ready to serve as "arm candy"—that is, a pretty date—to industry players, in hopes of landing a role.

Synonyms

• armpiece

Related terms

• eye candy

See also

• trophy wife

Further reading

• arm candy at OneLook Dictionary Search