Word of the Day : October 27, 2021
treacle
Syrup, molasses
noun TREE-kul | [ˈtrik(ə)l]
What It Means
Treacle is a British word for molasses. The heavy sweetness of the syrup influenced people to apply its name to things overly sentimental.
Treacle means molasses in the UK. The thick sweet syrup influenced people to apply its name to things that were too sensual.
Examples
From beginning to end, the movie had many lines of sentimental treacle.
From the beginning to the end of the film, there are many honey-like sentimental lines.
"But Parr's script swings so often between artistic triumph and personal tragedy that the structure quickly feels predictable, and lines likely intended to be inspirational sound more like pat treacle." — Steve Barnes, The Times Union (Albany, New York), 25 Aug. 2021
But Parr's screenplay often oscillates between artistic triumphs and personal tragedies, so much so that it quickly feels like the content is predictable, and those inspiring lines sound more like pat treacles. ）。 ”
Did You Know?
Treacle begins in ancient Greece. The Greek word thēriakos, meaning "of a wild animal," came from thērion ("wild animal"). Since wild animals are often known to bite, these words gave rise to thēriakē, meaning "antidote against a poisonous bite." Latin borrowed thēriakē as theriaca. Those roots gave life to treacle referring to molasses (developing from the "antidote" sense). The "molasses" sense was extended to things excessively sweet or sentimental.
Treacle began in ancient Greece. The Greek word thēriakos means "of a wild animal", from thērion("wild animal"). Since wild animals often bite people, these words give rise to thēriakē, which means "antidote against a poisonous bite" for "antidote to poison bites". Latin borrowed thēriakē for theriaca. These roots give life to treacles to refer to morasses as "molasses" (developed from the meaning of "antidote" "antidote"). The meaning of molasses extends to things that are too sweet; things that are sentimental.
Quiz
Fill in the blanks to complete an adjective meaning "overly sentimental": m _ _ d _ _ n.
Maudlin 'Fragile Feelings'
![Young people have four bottles a day, and they have no intention of working! Small African countries have been reduced to cough syrup[fig]](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAP///wAAACwAAAAAAQABAAACAkQBADs=)