taffy

See also: Taffy

English

Alternative forms

• toffee (see usage notes)

Etymology

Probably related to tafia (“type of rum”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtæ.fi/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æfi

Noun

taffy (countable and uncountable, plural taffies)

1. (US) A soft, chewy candy made from boiled sugar, molasses, or corn syrup and butter.
2. (informal) Flattery.
   • 1881, Mark Twain, Unfinished Burlesque on Books of Etiquette:

     […] if these statistices should seem to fail to tally with the facts, in places, do not nudge your neighbor, or press your foot upon his toes, or manifest, by any other sign, your awareness that taffy is being distributed.

   • 1912, Upton Sinclair, The Machine‎^[1]:

     Cut out the taffy. Who's your friend?

Usage notes

• Taffy is a soft candy invented in the United States and known as "chews" or "chewy sweets" in the United Kingdom. It is not to be confused with toffee.

Derived terms

• salt water taffy
• saltwater taffy
• taffy pull

Translations

soft, chewy candy

• Finnish: toffee (fi)
• Polish: ciągutka (pl) f, mordoklejka (pl) f
• Russian: ири́с (ru) m (irís), ири́ска (ru) f (iríska)
• Spanish: caramelo de melaza m; chicloso (es) m (Mexico)
• Tagalog: balikutsa, balkutsa

References

• “taffy”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

Further reading

• Taffy (candy) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia