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

But it’s a mistake to read this episode as evidence that moral standards are just that much higher in the land of sticky toffee pudding and the BBC Proms.

From Salon

And even fat, soft Solla, who made sweet toffees and cakes and never could resist his own cooking, had struggled to his feet.

From Literature

I pop the piece into my mouth and the chocolate gives way to a crumbly center that tastes like toffee and honey.

From Literature

“But if I don’t go to work, how will I pay for our toffees this weekend? I want to buy the big tin.”

From Literature

"You know, this argument that keeps coming up, 'oh, it will take us down the road of Liz Truss' - is just complete toffee," said Ms Graham.

From BBC