Aunt Sally

noun

Chiefly British.

1. a person who is a ready target for criticism or focus for disputation.

Aunt Sally

/ ˈsælɪ /

noun

1. a figure of an old woman's head, typically with a clay pipe, used in fairgrounds and fêtes as a target for balls or other objects

2. any person who is a target for insults or criticism

3. something set up as a target for disagreement or attack

Word History and Origins

Origin of Aunt Sally¹

First recorded in 1860–65; so called from the figure used as a target at fairs

Example Sentences

The best pralines I have ever eaten were in New Orleans, from a shop near the French Market called Aunt Sally’s, a family-owned, women-led company that has been hand-pouring French Creole-style pralines since 1935.

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Never saccharine-sweet or grainy as some pralines can be, Aunt Sally’s sets the bar to measure all the rest, and Praline Apple Cake captures the spirit of their perfection.

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It is the cake version of Aunt Sally’s pralines.

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Let’s say you want to give Aunt Sally a gift card to a clothing store.

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“I do have an aunt Sally,” Madge says, amazed.

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