arm candy

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English

Etymology

Presumably derived from eye candy, which was first attested in 1984; the term has been attested in the USA since 1992.[1]

Pronunciation

  • Audio (AU):(file)
  • 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

See also

References

  1. ^ Paul McFedries (1999 January 22) “arm candy”, in Word Spy, Logophilia Limited, retrieved 4 June 2017.

Further reading

  • “arm candy”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
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