Puzzle #215 · January 2, 2026
arm candy
Featured
Every day one two-word expression or compound word used in American English.
Arm candy evolved from cocaine?
Arm candy is a term used to describe a very attractive person accompanying someone at a social event. The word candy refers to the attractive person and would generally be considered somewhat derogatory as it reduces them to their looks.
The term dates to the 1990's and is a variant of the existing term, eye candy, which was first used in the 1970's.
Some suggest eye candy itself grew from the term nose candy which refers to cocaine and dates to the 1920's.
Arm candy is a term used to describe a very attractive person accompanying someone at a social event. The word candy refers to the attractive person and would generally be considered somewhat derogatory as it reduces them to their looks.
The term dates to the 1990's and is a variant of the existing term, eye candy, which was first used in the 1970's.
Some suggest eye candy itself grew from the term nose candy which refers to cocaine and dates to the 1920's.
Puzzle Appearances
The expression arm candy has appeared in 3 puzzles:
- Puzzle #167 on November 15, 2025
- Puzzle #215 on January 2, 2026
- Puzzle #319 on April 16, 2026
Rate of Appearance in English Language Print
Google's Ngram project shows how often a pair of words has appeared in print every year since the 1800's.
Data from Google Books Ngram Viewer. Licensed under CC BY 3.0.
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