barley sugar

noun

a brittle, amber-colored, transparent candy, formerly boiled in a decoction of barley, consisting of sugar, cream of tartar, and orange or lemon juice, usually twisted into strips or molded into a variety of shapes.

Origin of barley sugar

First recorded in 1705–15

Also called barley candy.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for barley sugar

Historical Examples of barley sugar

Lantier, who felt gay, was sucking his barley-sugar, and smacking his lips.
L'Assommoir
Emile Zola
I'll buy you a stick of barley-sugar; yes, a stick of barley-sugar!
The Fat and the Thin
Emile Zola
"We're all for barley-sugar ourselves just now," the subaltern went on.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 147, December 30, 1914
Various
Its barley-sugar and whipped cream are consumed on the spot; none is exported.
A Winter Amid the Ice
Jules Verne
The general returned to his confections, and his aide-de-camp to the barley-sugar.
A Winter Amid the Ice
Jules Verne

British Dictionary definitions for barley sugar

barley sugar

noun

a brittle clear amber-coloured sweet made by boiling sugar, originally with a barley extract

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012