rush candle

American  

noun

1. a candle made from a dried, partly peeled rush that has been dipped in grease.

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Etymology

Origin of rush candle

First recorded in 1585–95

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

rush candle

As he pored over the map, by the light of bog-deal torch or rush candle, what would he see upon it?

From Hereward, the Last of the English by Kingsley, Charles

Light is, or used to be, given by a “lamp,” a kind of Chinese lantern on a lacquer stand, the light being given by a rush candle.

From The Empire of the East by Montgomery, H. B. (Helen Barrett)

He lighted a rush candle and looked about him.

From The Thirsty Sword by Leighton, Robert

Upon a little three-legged stool, between them, burns a dim rush candle, whose light is so exceedingly feeble that it casts ghastly and death-like shadows over the whole inside of the cabin.

From The Black Baronet; or, The Chronicles Of Ballytrain The Works of William Carleton, Volume One by Carleton, William

She lighted a fragment of a rush candle by the flame, and, opening a small box containing medicinal preparations, took therefrom a small vial containing an amber-coloured liquid, and held it to the light.

From Captain Kyd (Vol 1 of 2) or, The Wizard of the Sea by Ingraham, Jonathon Holt