Dear colleagues,

 

May I ask you to comment on this sentence:

 

Can the verbe PLANT be used in this sense. I can �t find a corresponding example in a dictionary.

Thank you so much and all the best in the year 2017. 

I think that in a very select few situations it could be used, but it is so rare I would probably not accept it (unless he buried the cupcakes in soil or is refering to some covert actions).  I believe the word you are looking  for is "hidden" (or "left behind").

 

 

Also. it should be "were eating" (vs "are eating")

 

 

To add a little to Douglas �s excellent answer, we do sometimes use "plant" to mean "placed secretly in a place for a certain purpose", such as "plant a microphone" or "plant a spy". However, it is always accompanied by some more information, such as "...they came across the cupcakes Harry had planted there as a surprise for them".

 

Bruce