finger-lickin' good
English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From the advertising slogan “It’s finger-lickin’ good” adopted by the U.S. fast-food restaurant chain Kentucky Fried Chicken (now KFC) in 1956,[1] referring to the fact that something eaten with the hands is so delicious that one cannot help but lick one’s fingers to savour the crumbs of food or juices left behind.
Pronunciation
[edit]- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈfɪŋɡəˌlɪkɪn ˈɡʊd/
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈfɪŋɡɚˌlɪkɪn ˈɡʊd/
Audio (General American): (file) - Hyphenation: fing‧er-lick‧in' good
Adjective
[edit]finger-lickin' good (comparative more finger-lickin' good, superlative most finger-lickin' good) (US, colloquial)
- Of food: very delicious; delectable, scrumptious.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:delicious
- Antonyms: see Thesaurus:unpalatable
- (figuratively) Extremely good; superb.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:excellent, Thesaurus:wonderful
- Antonyms: awful, dreadful, terrible; see also Thesaurus:bad, Thesaurus:low-quality
Alternative forms
[edit]Related terms
[edit]Translations
[edit]extremely good, superb — see superb
References
[edit]- ^ Compare “finger-licking (also finger-lickin’), n., adv., and adj.” under “finger, n.”, in OED Online
, Oxford: Oxford University Press, December 2016.
Further reading
[edit]- “finger-licking, adj.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.