comfit

Everyday

(old) A small sweet made of a seed or nut, such as aniseed, caraway or an almond, coated in hard sugar. tree →

In the lessons

Comfits were eaten in Tudor and Victorian times, like sugared almonds or sprinkles today. In Alice in Wonderland, after the Caucus-race the Dodo says everybody has won and must have prizes, and Alice hands round a box of comfits from her pocket, one each; she gets her own thimble back as her prize. The scene is a joke about silly rules where everyone wins.

Examples

• Alice found a box of comfits in her pocket. tree →
• Each animal got one comfit as a prize. tree →
• The comfits were a little wet from the salt water. tree →
• A comfit is a seed or nut covered in sugar. tree →
• Sugared almonds are a kind of comfit. tree →
• The big birds complained they could not taste their comfits. tree →

Note

Old-fashioned word; today we say sugared almonds, sugar-coated sweets or sprinkles. Countable: a comfit, comfits. Do not confuse with confetti (paper pieces) or comfort.