Definition

Noun: A hot cross bun is a type of sweet, spiced bread roll. It is traditionally eaten on Good Friday. The bun contains raisins or currants and sometimes candied citrus peel (citron). Its most distinctive feature is a cross marked on top, usually made from a flour paste or a sugar glaze.

Usage

The term "hot cross bun" refers specifically to this baked good. It is a countable noun. * It is common to eat a hot cross bun toasted with butter. * Bakeries sell hot cross buns in the weeks leading up to Easter.

Examples

• "For breakfast, she had a hot cross bun and a cup of tea."
• "The smell of freshly baked hot cross buns filled the kitchen."
• "According to tradition, hot cross buns baked on Good Friday will not spoil."

Advanced Usage

• The phrase is sometimes used in the nursery rhyme: "Hot cross buns! Hot cross buns! One a penny, two a penny, hot cross buns."
• It can appear in idiomatic expressions about tradition or seasonal change, e.g., "The appearance of hot cross buns in the shops is a sure sign that spring has arrived."

Variants and Related Words

• Bun (n): A small, round bread roll, which can be sweet or savory. A hot cross bun is a specific type of bun.
• Spiced bun (n): A more general term for a sweet bun containing spices, which may or may not have a cross.

Synonyms

• Spiced bun: A general synonym, though it lacks the specific cultural and decorative connotations.
• Easter bun: A less common synonym that references the seasonal association.

Idioms and Phrases

• "Like a hot cross bun": An informal simile sometimes used to describe something that is popular, in demand, or traditionally consumed at a specific time. (e.g., "At the Easter fair, those toys were selling like hot cross buns.")

Noun

1. moderately sweet raised roll containing spices and raisins and citron and decorated with a cross-shaped sugar glaze