Crossword Genius

Sugar coated rubbish expired (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

candied

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'sugar coated' is the definition.
Both the definition and answer are adjectives.
Maybe there's a link between them I don't understand?

'rubbish expired' is the wordplay.
'rubbish' becomes 'can' (I can't explain this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'expired' becomes 'died' ('die' can be a synonym of 'expire').
'can'+'died'='CANDIED'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for candied that I've seen before include "Sugared" , "no longer flattering" , "Covered with sugar" , "Sugar-coated" , "Crystallised" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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