Definition

Noun: 1. A type of cylindrical firework: A firework consisting of a tube that, when lit, shoots out a series of colored balls or stars of fire one after the other, often with a loud report.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The grand finale of the show featured dozens of roman candles lighting up the sky.
  • He carefully planted the roman candle in the sand before lighting the fuse.
  • The roman candle shot a brilliant sequence of red, white, and blue stars into the night.

Advanced Usage

• Metaphorical Use: Sometimes used metaphorically to describe a person or situation that emits a rapid, successive series of actions, emotions, or pronouncements, often ending abruptly.
  • The meeting ended with the manager going off like a roman candle, listing every failure before storming out.

Variants and Related Words

• Roman Candle Effect: A specific term in pyrotechnics and rocketry describing a malfunction where a firework or rocket motor burns like a roman candle, expelling its contents progressively rather than exploding as designed.

Synonyms

• Skyrocket (though a skyrocket typically refers to a firework that shoots high into the air before exploding, not necessarily ejecting a series of balls).
• Fountain (a ground-based firework that emits a spray of sparks, but not necessarily colored balls in sequence).

Related Phrases

• To go off like a roman candle: An idiom meaning to suddenly become very angry or excited, erupting in a burst of emotion or speech.
  • He was calm until someone questioned his authority, then he went off like a roman candle.

Noun

1. a cylindrical firework that projects a series of colored balls of fire