Candle and lantern

[tufguy]

Hi guys,


We say "We turn off or turn on the bulbs or tube lights" but what do we use for " Candles or lanterns"?

 

[Barb_D]

You light candles.
You light a lantern
You blow out candles.
You extinguish lanterns and candles.

Your use of quote marks is slipping again.

 

[BobK]

You can also put out or snuff out a candle (I wouldn't be surprised if 'snuff out' was BrE only). The word 'snuff' is more common now in the context of videos that show a person being killed: 'snuff videos' [an odious usage, but it exists].

b

 

[MikeNewYork]

When I was an altar boy (eons ago) we had candle snuffers on a long pole for the candles we couldn't reach.

 

[emsr2d2]

I still have one.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=c...Sx0QXln4DADg&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAg&biw=1120&bih=635

 

[tufguy]

Can we also use "Douse".

 

[BobK]

:-? Doubtful, I'd say. 'Douse' is not a common word (in any context), but this COCA link doesn't list 'candle' among the (fairly sparse) collocates. BNC (a much smaller corpus) lists even fewer.

That said, it'd be understood. I think it'd be more likely in cases of emergency or precaution, rather than just everyday snuffing;-)

b

 

[MikeNewYork]

I agree that "douse" is uncommon, but it does seem to be used for candles.

See the Collins Dictionary entry (third from the top) here: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/doused

 

[Rover_KE]

'Douse the lights' is not uncommon. Many dictionaries in the OneLook site say so.

 

[SoothingDave]

"Douse" sounds like an emergency procedure to me. Not what you would use in normal circumstances.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

(I wouldn't be surprised if 'snuff out' was BrE only)

b

We Americans say snuff out, too.