taffy
taffy Lexical Profile
taffy Game Scores & Validity
• noun
North American A chewy, sweet candy made by boiling sugar or molasses with butter, which is then repeatedly stretched and folded until it becomes aerated and glossy.
"We bought a colorful box of assorted saltwater taffy during our summer vacation at the boardwalk."
North American Insincere flattery or coaxing, sweet talk.
"The slick salesman tried to win the clients over with a lot of political taffy, but they saw right through his pitch."
Word Nuance & Usage
In North America, 'taffy' specifically refers to a chewy, aerated candy created by pulling, whereas the British 'toffee' typically denotes a harder, unpulled confection made from caramelized sugar and butter.
• Rhymes for taffy
Word Origin & Etymology
Early 19th century: of obscure origin; possibly related to the earlier dialect word 'taffy' or 'tafia' (a rum-like liquor), or an alteration of 'toffee'.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.