Although sugar is nice, being a sugar daddy is not. Let’s explore this derogatory term for a usually wealthy and older man. Despite it is usually derogatory nature, this slang term used to be so popular that, during the 1920s a candy that consists of a large piece of caramel on a stick changed its name from Papa Sucker to Sugar Daddy. It’s a candy that is still made today. The company also makes small candies called Sugar Babies.
Meaning of Idiom Sugar Daddy
A sugar daddy is an older or elderly man, usually wealthy or well-to-do, who buys lavish gifts and/or monetarily supports a much younger woman so that she will provide him companionship and sexual favors.
A woman with a sugar daddy is sometimes called a sugar baby.
Usage
Although the term sugar daddy is usually quite derogatory, suggesting a sleazy old man who uses his deep pockets to buy the attention of a young woman, it is sometimes used less seriously and even humorously to describe a man who likes to buy lavish gifts for his girlfriend or support her with money, etc.
Examples Of Use
“I need to find a sugar daddy so I can quit this boring job,” said the young woman.”
“She refused his gift saying “I don’t need a sugar daddy, I can pay my own way.”
“He was convinced that she loved her. If he had known he was just a sugar daddy to her, it would have broken his heart.”
“I don’t want to work. I just need to find a sugar daddy.”
Origin
Used since the early 1900s.
The term sugar refers to the role of gifts in sweetening the relationship. The term daddy refers to the large age difference between the two people. 1Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
