Roman candle

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Roman candle (plural Roman candles)

1. (pyrotechnics) A traditional type of firework that ejects one or more stars or exploding shells.
   • 2025 September 9, David Smith, “The president doth protest too much: Trump’s denial on Epstein is backfiring”, in The Guardian‎^[1], →ISSN:

     [Karoline] Leavitt threw Roman candles, Catherine wheels and smoke bombs in the air in the hope of distracting reporters. But she was unable to quash the nagging suspicion that Donald Trump has something to hide.

2. (aviation) A parachute deployment failure in which the parachutist whirls downward at high speed.

• Roman-candle (verbal form)

Roman candle (third-person singular simple present Roman candles, present participle Roman candling, simple past and past participle Roman candled)

1. Alternative form of Roman-candle.
   • 2007, J. Joseph Higgins, The Splat Conspiracy: America in Peril, page 145:

     At first, Cyclops's chute began to Roman candle, but in another moment, it popped.

   • 2012, Nigel Cawthorne, The Mammoth Book of Inside the Elite Forces:

     Canopies used to be made of silk and when they got wet they would not open, leaving the parachutist to “Roman candle” to a certain death.

   • 2018, Mark Seaman, Undercover Agent:

     That was the theory, but as Corby continued, 'Unfortunately, in operation, this type of parachute tended to "Roman Candle" twist round and round, so that ultimately caused the parachute to collapse and allow the man to fall to the ground unsupported.'