a person or leather shop, particularly referring to the Tandy Leather Company; can also mean well-tanned or high-quality leather.
Originally from an English surname, particularly associated with the Tandy Leather Company founded in 1919. The word became a brand name that described a quality standard for leather goods. In some British dialects, 'tandy' referred to tanned leather more generally.
Tandy is a great example of how brand names become generic terms—like calling all tissues 'Kleenex.' At its peak, Tandy Leather was so dominant that 'tandy' became shorthand for reliable, high-quality leather in British English, even outside the company.
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