cough sweet
The standard British English term for what Americans call a cough drop or throat lozenge — the medicated hard candy you dissolve in your mouth to soothe a sore throat or suppress a cough.
Definitions
The standard British English term for what Americans call a cough drop or throat lozenge — the medicated hard candy you dissolve in your mouth to soothe a sore throat or suppress a cough. Typically mentholated, honey-flavored, or both. You'll find them at every British pharmacy and corner shop, usually in familiar brands like Tunes or Halls. A cough sweet is also the classic thing someone's nan produces from the depths of her handbag.
She rifled through her bag and handed him a cough sweet before he could clear his throat a third time.
Comments
(UK) A cough drop.
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🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.
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Semantically related
- candy shop62%
The American English term for what the British call a sweet shop — a store that sells confectionery, sweets, and sugary treats. In the US, 'candy shop' is standard; in the UK, you'd more likely say 'sweetshop.' The phrase has also taken on metaphorical meaning for any place with an overwhelming variety of desirable things, and it's been immortalized in more than a few song titles.
- boiled sweet61%
(British) A hard sweet, made by boiling sugar, which gradually dissolves when sucked.
- soften someone's cough59%
To ease or sooth someone's cough.
- mint58%
A mint-flavored candy, often eaten to sweeten the smell of the breath.