toffee

American  

[taw-fee, tof-ee] / ˈtɔ fi, ˈtɒf i /

Sometimes toffy

noun

1. a brittle or chewy brown candy made of sugar or molasses boiled down with butter, often mixed with nuts.

2. British.  taffy.

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toffee British  

/ ˈtɒfɪ /

noun

1. a sweet made from sugar or treacle boiled with butter, nuts, etc

2. informal  (preceded by can't) to be incompetent at a specified activity

   he can't sing for toffee

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Etymology

Origin of toffee

First recorded in 1860–65; the earlier variants toughy, tuffy were first recorded in 1825–30 ; southern British dialect form of original northern British dialect taffy ( def. ); further origin uncertain

Compare meaning

How does toffee compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• toffee vs. caramel

Example Sentences

I eat toffee by the handful, not by the crumb.

From Salon

To make the toffee, combine butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat and then melt until the mixture is slightly thick, like caramel sauce.

From Salon

While Ottolenghi's prune-infused sticky chocolate loaf takes its cues from the classic British sticky toffee pudding, my own chocolate prune cake, inspired by a simple Food.com recipe, is a more pared-down affair.

From Salon

Today, there's truly something for everyone with fillings such as nut clusters, maple fudge, buttercreams and truffles, molasses chews, toffees and nougats, all types of fruit-studded creams, as well as the classics.

From Salon

At first glance, Nina Edwards Ankers’ sconces and chandeliers look like ancient scrolls of parchment, or sheets of buttery toffee, wrapped around LED bulbs.

From Seattle Times