brain candy

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Noun

brain candy (uncountable)

2. (idiomatic) A narrative, commentary, etc. which amuses and holds one's attention, but which lacks intellectual depth or importance.

   Hyponym: popcorn movie

   Coordinate terms: brain rot (likewise unsalutary but also more harmful); pablum, pap

   • 1982 February 10, “Capsule Reviews”, in Daily Times, Ohio, USA, retrieved 2 October 2012, page 16:

     Venom is spine-tingling brain candy about a deadly snake on the loose in a London townhouse during a kidnapping attempt.

   • 1992 February 19, Ron Alexander, “Metropolitan Diary”, in New York Times, retrieved 2 October 2012:

     After years of chewing on murder mysteries as my form of “brain candy,” I thought I'd sample westerns for a change of pace.

   • 2003 June 9, Bryan Walsh, “Movies: Enter The Animatrix”, in Time:

     Matriculated, my favorite, is written and directed by Peter Chung. . . . The result is electric-Kool-Aid brain candy, with a twist of unexpected pathos.

Usage notes

• Often used to denote motion pictures which provide light, undemanding entertainment.

References

• “brain candy”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.