treacle

American  

[tree-kuhl] / ˈtri kəl /

noun

1. contrived or unrestrained sentimentality.

   a movie plot of the most shameless treacle.

2. British.

   1. molasses, especially that which is drained from the vats used in sugar refining.

   2. Also called golden syrup.  a mild mixture of molasses, corn syrup, etc., used in cooking or as a table syrup.

3. Pharmacology, Obsolete. any of various medicinal compounds, formerly used as antidotes for poison.

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treacle British  

/ ˈtriːkəl /

noun

1. Also called: black treacle.  a dark viscous syrup obtained during the refining of sugar

2. another name for golden syrup

3. anything sweet and cloying

4. obsolete any of various preparations used as an antidote to poisoning

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• treacly
  adjective
• treacliness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of treacle

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, variant of triacle “antidote,” from Middle French, Old French, from Latin thēriaca, from Greek thēriakḗ, noun use of feminine of thēriakós “concerning wild beasts,” equivalent to thērí(on) “wild beast” ( thḗr “wild beast” + -ion diminutive suffix) + -akos -ac

Explanation

Use the noun treacle to describe a book or a song that is so sweet and sappy that it makes you feel a little sick. Treacle is literally a type of thick, sticky syrup — that might help you remember its primary, figurative meaning as non-food that’s syrupy and sentimental. When someone lays on the flattery, that's treacle, as are overly sentimental music and calling your girlfriend "schmoopy-poo." Interestingly, the word treacle was originally used to mean "poison antidote," from the Greek root word thēriakē, "antidote for venom."

Example Sentences

Mark Wilkinson was a chef for 20 years before starting The Treacle Town Pie Company, based in Macclesfield, in 2009.

From BBC • Mar. 9, 2023

Hutchins was recognized as a "rising star" by American Cinematographer in 2019, and won an award for best cinematography at the 2019 English Riviera Film Festival for her movie "Treacle."

From Salon • Oct. 22, 2021

It also reminds me a little of Dennis Potter’s chilling play Brimstone and Treacle — and at a further remove, of Almodovar’s Talk to Her.

From The Guardian • Nov. 24, 2018

The series’ editor, Karen Berger, told me it was Totleben, who had been wowed by Sting’s portrayal of a possibly demonic con-man in the 1982 film Brimstone and Treacle.

From Slate • Oct. 23, 2014

Treacle toffee, Ron?” he added as Ron reappeared.

From "Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets" by J. K. Rowling