to1 fei4 tong4拖肥糖

Jyutpingto1 fei4 tong4

Yaletō fèih tòhng

Definition

Toffee; a type of candy made of caramelized sugar or molasses along with butter and sometimes flour.

colloquialfood

How it's used

This term is a direct phonetic loan from English, reflecting the colonial influence on Hong Kong's snack culture. It specifically refers to the chewy, buttery confection rather than hard candies or chocolates. You will often hear it used when describing candies that are notoriously difficult to chew because they stick to dental work.

Measure word

nap1粒nāp

Examples

le1呢nap1粒to1拖fei2肥tong2糖hou2好ci1黐ngaa4牙aa4呀。

This piece of toffee is very sticky to the teeth.

nei5你sik6食m4唔sik6食to1拖fei2肥tong2糖aa4呀？

Do you want to eat some toffee?

Common phrases

ci1黐ngaa4牙

sticky to the teeth

Common mistake

Do not confuse this with 拖肥, which is sometimes used as a slang term for a person who is clingy or overly attached to someone else, derived from the sticky nature of the candy.