cornball

English

Etymology

corn +‎ ball

Noun

cornball (plural cornballs)

  1. A ball of popped corn stuck together with soft candy from molasses or sugar.
    • 1871, The Myrtle (volume 21, page 301)
      How large and inviting were the cornballs that piled the platter, and how crisp and glossy the braids and twists of molasses candy that mother and cousin had made when the little ones were snug in bed.
  2. (US, informal) An unsophisticated person.
  3. (US, informal) Something excessively corny.
    That movie was a real cornball.
    • 2014 June 26, A. A. Dowd, “Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler Spoof Rom-com Clichés in They Came Together”, in The A.V. Club‎, archived from the original on 7 December 2017:
      [Paul] Rudd, especially, finds the perfect balance between synthetic cornball charm and actual emotional engagement. Like the movie itself, he’s best when playing the rom-com clichés straight.

See also
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