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Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)

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First published 1974 (SND Vol. IX). Includes material from the 2005 supplement.
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

TAFFIE, n. Also taffy (Dmf. 1834 Carlyle Letters (Norton 1888) II. 241; e.Lth. 1892 J. Lumsden Sheep-Head 39; Rxb. 1954 Hawick News (18 June) 7), toaffee. Sc. forms, also in n.Eng. dial. and U.S. = Eng. toffee, which is recorded later. [′tɑfe, obsol. exc. s.Sc.; ′tofe] As in Eng.; also  “a sweetmeat eaten only on Hallowe'en” (Dmf. 1825 Jam.). Sc. combs.: toffee-aiple, an apple dipped in slightly candied sugar and held on a stick to be eaten; toffee bool, a ball of flavoured toffee eaten mainly by children; taffie-join, a social gathering held by young people who club together to buy treacle for making toffee (Sc. 1893 N.E.D. s.v. Candy, n.¹; ‡Rxb. 1923 Watson W.-B.), also in n.Eng. dial.; taffie knot, = taffie-bool; tafffie-shine = taffie-join; taffie-strap, a long flat stick of toffee.Sc. 1835 Wilson's Tales of the Borders I. 134:
Taffy, or what some ca' treacle-candy.Dmf. 1912 J. Hyslop Echoes 260:
The story of Yid Gambie's “taffy-join” .Edb. 1926 A. Muir Blue Bonnet i., xi.:
A gloriously decked toffee-bool. . . . A yard or so of stickjaw toffee-straps.Fif. 1939 St Andrews Cit. (18 March) 4:
Wud ye like a toffee-aipple?s.Sc. 1947 L. Derwent Clashmaclavers 76, 87:
She aye pits in some taffy knots. . . . Aiblins a taffy-aipple sweet.Gsw. 1990 John and Willy Maley From the Calton to Catalonia 21:
Ah gied him a look that wid've melted toaffee.