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barley sugar

noun
  1. 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.
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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

  • 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!

  • "We're all for barley-sugar ourselves just now," the subaltern went on.

  • The general returned to his confections, and his aide-de-camp to the barley-sugar.

  • Its barley-sugar and whipped cream are consumed on the spot; none is exported.

British Dictionary definitions for barley sugar

barley sugar

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