Definition

1. Noun:
   • A light, hollow pastry filled with cream or custard: A small, round, sweet baked good made from choux pastry, which puffs up during baking to create a hollow center that is typically filled with whipped cream, pastry cream, or custard. It is often dusted with powdered sugar or topped with chocolate.
   • (Informal, figurative) A person or thing that is delicate, weak, or ineffectual: Used to describe someone who is perceived as physically weak, lacking toughness, or something that is overly delicate or easily damaged.

Examples of Usage

• Noun (Literal): .*
• Noun (Figurative):

Advanced Usage

• "Cream puff" (in sports): In boxing or other contact sports, a fighter perceived as weak or an easy opponent.
• "Cream puff" (in automotive slang): A used car that has been very well-maintained, is in excellent condition, and has had an easy life, often owned by an elderly person. This is a positive connotation.

Variants and Related Words

• Profiterole: A specific type of cream puff, often smaller and sometimes served with chocolate sauce.
• Éclair: A long, finger-shaped choux pastry filled with cream and topped with icing, closely related to the cream puff.
• Choux pastry: The light, cooked dough used to make cream puffs and éclairs.

Synonyms

• Pastry: A general term for a baked food made of dough.
• Choux bun: Another name for a cream puff.
• Weakling (for the figurative sense): A person who is not physically strong.
• Pushover (for the figurative sense): A person who is easily defeated or persuaded.

Related Phrases

• "Cream puff special": An informal term for a very easy task or assignment.

Related Idioms

• "Handle with kid gloves" / "Treat like a cream puff": To treat someone or something with extreme care because they are perceived as very delicate or fragile. This idiom shares the figurative sense of delicacy.

Noun

1. puff filled with cream or custard