taffy

[ taf-ee ]

/ ˈtæf i /

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noun, plural taf·fies.

a chewy candy made of sugar or corn syrup boiled down with butter or oil, pulled or stretched back and forth to incorporate air bubbles, then rolled, twisted, and cut into pieces.

Informal. flattery.

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Origin of taffy

First recorded in 1815–25; northern English dialect variant of toffee;see origin at toffee

Words nearby taffy

Tafelwein, taffarel, taffeta, taffeta weave, taffrail, taffy, taffy apple, tafia, Tafilelt, Taft, Taft-Hartley Act

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use taffy in a sentence

It features a solid milk chocolate bunny, sour jelly beans, and chocolate sandwich cookies, nestled alongside pretty pastel-wrapped taffy and a sugar cookie in the shape of a carrot.
The Best Premade Easter Baskets To Make Your Life Easier|Korin Miller|April 4, 2022|The Daily Beast
One is that, he said, this kind of phenomenon, which is called a carrying capacity — means that only so much can be produced because of these natural limits — could be stretched like taffy to cover the entire world.
Two (Totally Opposite) Ways to Save the Planet (Ep. 346 Rebroadcast)|Stephen J. Dubner|July 29, 2021|Freakonomics
From the District to New York, that charming little town of taffy and traffic will host us all.
Opinion | Speedos and hoodies: Rehoboth Memorial Day recap|Brock Thompson|June 3, 2021|Washington Blade
His family went mask-free while watching an employee pull taffy inside La King’s Confectionery, an old-fashioned ice cream parlor and candy shop.
Coronavirus hospitalizations drop as officials, wary of states reopening, urge caution|Brittany Shammas, Brittney Martin, Richard Webner, Dan Diamond|March 11, 2021|Washington Post

“The sun’s magnetic field lines can get complicated and twisted up like taffy in certain regions,” says Mary Hudson, a physicist at Dartmouth College.
Solar storms can wreak havoc. We need better space weather forecasts|Ramin Skibba|February 26, 2021|Science News
I made a painting of the scene with Katy licking an ice cream cone in a taffy forest.
Artist Will Cotton Talks Katy Perry|Isabel Wilkinson|February 6, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Taffy Brodesser-Akner has written for the Los Angeles Times, Salon, and Self, among other publications.
Confessions of a 90210 Addict|Taffy Brodesser-Akner|March 8, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Taffy Brodesser-Akner, a devotee of 90210, Gossip Girl, and One Tree Hill, searches for answers.
Confessions of a 90210 Addict|Taffy Brodesser-Akner|March 8, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Taffy Brodesser-Akner has written for the Los Angeles Times, Salon, and Babble, among other publications.
Who's Killing the Soaps?|Taffy Brodesser-Akner|December 14, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Erin Wasson speaks with a slow, gravelly drawl, chewing on her words like sticky pieces of taffy.
The Anti-Supermodel|Rachel Syme|March 11, 2009|DAILY BEAST
It seems to me they look more like candy themselves, with their taffy hair and peppermint-striped bathing-suits.
The Girl Scouts at Camp Comalong|Lillian Garis
Well make a hot drink and the cake and ice-cream, with taffy, ought to be enough in all conscience, especially on Thanksgiving.
Betty Lee, Freshman|David Goodger (goodger@python.org)
An insufficient amount of sugar will result in tough, sour jelly, while too large a quantity will make the jelly taffy-like.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 5|Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
Still others, such as taffy, are pulled until light in color and then cut into small pieces with a pair of scissors.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 5|Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
Then, again, taffy made from white sugar may be varied by means of many delightful colors and flavors.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 5|Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences

British Dictionary definitions for taffy (1 of 2)

taffy

/ (ˈtæfɪ) /

noun plural -fies

US and Canadian a chewy sweet made of brown sugar or molasses and butter, boiled and then pulled so that it becomes glossy

mainly US and Canadian a less common term for toffee

Word Origin for taffy

C19: perhaps from tafia

British Dictionary definitions for taffy (2 of 2)

Taffy

/ (ˈtæfɪ) /

noun plural -fies

a slang word or nickname for a Welshman

Word Origin for Taffy

C17: from the supposed Welsh pronunciation of Davy (from David, Welsh Dafydd), a common Welsh Christian name

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012