lollipop
- 01 A2 Elementary
n.a hard sweet or piece of candy fixed to the end of a small stick.
n.a piece of hard confectionery attached to a stick, intended to be sucked or licked.
Simple“The child chose a red strawberry lollipop from the jar at the shop.”
In context“The dentist handed out sugar-free lollipops to the younger patients as a reward for their cooperation during the check-up.”
Synonymssuckerlolly - 02 B1 Intermediate
n.a round sign on a long stick used by people helping children cross the road.
n.a circular sign on a pole used by a school crossing patrol to stop traffic.
Simple“The cars stopped when the woman held up her lollipop in the middle of the road.”
In context“In the UK, the school crossing patrol is colloquially named after the distinctive lollipop sign they carry to halt oncoming vehicles.”
Synonymscrossing sign - 03 C1 Advanced
n.a sign on a stick used in car racing to tell the driver when to stop or go.
n.a sign on a long handle used by a pit crew member to signal instructions to a driver during a pit stop.
Simple“The driver watched the lollipop carefully to know exactly when to accelerate.”
In context“The mechanic lowered the lollipop to signal the driver to brake precisely at the designated mark in the pit lane.”
Synonymspit board - 04 C2 Proficiency
v.to cut off the lower branches of a plant so it grows a round top on a bare stem.
v.to prune the lower foliage and lateral branches of a plant to encourage a concentrated canopy at the apex.
Simple“He decided to lollipop his indoor plants to help the top flowers get more light.”
In context“By lollipopping the lower third of the stems, the gardener redirected the plant's energy toward the primary colas at the top of the canopy.”
Usageoften used in indoor gardening or arboriculture to improve light penetration
By surface analysis, loll (“laze, hang loose”) + y + pop (“shot, try, burst, enter”); likely through lolly (“head, tongue”). Attested from 1784. Compare lollygag and lollypoop. An unlikely derivation is from Romani loli (“red”) + phabaj (“apple”); candy apples are often red and placed on a stick to keep the person's hands dry, similar to lollipops. However candy apples were not well-known until a century after the first known use of the word lollipop, and the original lollipop was likely a small item like modern penny candy.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.