saltwater taffy
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of saltwater taffy
An Americanism dating back to 1890–95
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The term describes how the crust stretches and thins in the middle, similar to the narrowed "neck" that forms when a piece of saltwater taffy is pulled apart.
From Science Daily • Apr. 25, 2026
The weekend was oceanic cliffs and Gilded Age mansions and a kaleidoscopic assortment of saltwater taffy.
From Salon • Mar. 31, 2024
All the classic beach hits are available in and around Seaside, too — saltwater taffy, crab cakes, and more — which generations have enjoyed for more than a century.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 6, 2021
The pandemic has stretched out the days like saltwater taffy on a pulling machine, thick and cyclical.
From Washington Post • Jun. 23, 2020
A metal Slinky, Silly Putty poppers, and a bag of saltwater taffy.
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
