What is "gobstopper"

n. A type of hard long-lasting candy, usually spherical in shape.

Gobstoppers, known as jawbreakers in Canada and the United States, are a type of hard candy. They are usually round, and normally range from about 1 - 3 cm across; though in Canadian/US candy stores, some stores or stands in Europe and many theme parks, gobstoppers can sometimes be up to 8 cm in diameter. The candies are traditionally very hard, hence the descriptive name of jawbreaker.

The term gobstopper derives from 'gob', which is slang in United Kingdom and Ireland for mouth. The sweet was a favourite among British schoolboys between World War I and World War II. In his children's book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, British author Roald Dahl described "Everlasting Gobstoppers", a fictional type of gobstopper that could never be finished.

Gobstoppers usually consist of a number of layers, each layer dissolving to reveal a different colour (and sometimes differently flavoured) layer, before dissolving completely. Gobstoppers are sucked or licked, being too hard to bite without risking dental damage (hence the name jawbreaker).

Gobstoppers have been sold in traditional sweet shops for at least a century, often sold by weight from jars. As gobstoppers dissolve very slowly, they last a very long time in the mouth, which is a major factor in their enduring popularity with children. Larger ones can take days or even weeks to fully dissolve.