Meaning & use
a knickerbocker glory
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Meaning
nouncountableBritish
A tall glass dish of ice cream served with fruit, jelly, syrup, and cream.
Grammar: Countable: use a/an and a plural form, as in two knickerbocker glories.
Patterns
- a knickerbocker glory for dessert
- order a knickerbocker glory
The children each ordered a knickerbocker glory with extra chocolate sauce.
He finished his meal with a knickerbocker glory topped with whipped cream and a cherry.
On the menu, a knickerbocker glory was listed among the sundaes and milkshakes.
Word forms
| plural | knickerbocker glories |
|---|
Common combinations
- order a knickerbocker glory
- We sat by the window and ordered a knickerbocker glory to share.
- a knickerbocker glory with extra sauce
- She asked for a knickerbocker glory with extra sauce and no nuts.
- finish with a knickerbocker glory
- They finished the meal with a knickerbocker glory each.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sundae
- Sundae is the general word for ice cream with toppings; a knickerbocker glory is one specific tall, layered British version.
- ice-cream dessert
- This is a broad description rather than a name, useful if the listener does not know the British term.
Word family
- glory noun
- Great beauty or fame; here it is only part of the dessert's name.
Commonly confused: a knickerbocker glory or Knickerbocker?
a knickerbocker glory vs Knickerbocker
Knickerbocker alone can refer to a type of baggy trousers or to old New York families; the dessert sense needs the full phrase.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?
Choose one answer.
The phrase is a countable noun, so the plural is formed by changing glory to glories: two knickerbocker glories. Option 0 keeps the singular after a number, and option 2 adds a double plural ending.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “a knickerbocker glory”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.