taffy

Everyday

1. (US, Canada) A soft, chewy sweet made by boiling sugar or molasses and pulling it until it is shiny and stretchy; salt-water taffy is a famous kind. tree →
2. (UK, old) Another word for toffee in some places. tree →
3. (a name) Taffy is the little girl in two of Kipling's Just So Stories, «How the First Letter Was Written» and «How the Alphabet Was Made»; her full name is Taffimai Metallumai, which she says means «Small-person-without-any-manners-who-ought-to-be-spanked». tree →
4. (UK, old, rude) An old nickname for a Welsh person; many Welsh people find it insulting, so do not use it. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life taffy is a seaside sweet in the USA and Canada, often sold at fairs and boardwalks. In «Reading children's books» Taffy is a clever, cheeky Stone-Age girl who draws a picture-letter for her mother and helps her father Tegumai invent the alphabet — the story is about how writing began. Phrases: «salt-water taffy», «taffy pull» (a party where people pull warm taffy).

Examples

• We bought a bag of salt-water taffy on the boardwalk. tree →
• The taffy stuck to my teeth. tree →
• Grandma showed us how to pull taffy until it went pale and shiny. tree →
• Taffy drew a picture on birch bark to send a message to her mother. tree →
• Taffy and her daddy Tegumai made the first letters together. tree →
• Taffy was not very good at sitting still and being quiet. tree →
• In the story, nobody could read Taffy's picture properly, so there was a big muddle. tree →
• Still the turtle-dove cried: “Take two, Taffy, take two-o-o-o.” tree →

Note

Taffy the sweet is uncountable («some taffy»), but «a taffy» or «taffies» can mean single pieces in the US. The girl's name starts with a capital letter. In the UK people usually say toffee, which is often harder. Do not call Welsh people «Taffy».