elephant ear

noun

US
: a thick, irregular disk of fried dough usually served with a topping (such as powdered sugar)
An Elephant Ear is an album-sized expanse of oil-fried dough slathered with butter and cinnamon-sugar, sort of cinnamon toast from hell, really and truly shaped like an ear, surprisingly yummy, it turns out, but sickly soft, the texture of adipose flesh, and undeniably elephant-sized …David Foster Wallace, A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again, 1997

Word History

First Known Use

1948, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of elephant ear was in 1948

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Cite this Entry

“Elephant ear.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elephant%20ear. Accessed 6 Nov. 2024.

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