Word of the Day Archive
Friday July 23, 2004
treacly \TREE-klee\ , adjective:
1. Like, or composed of, treacle.
2. Overly sweet or sentimental.
Before the revolution Chukovsky had tried to free children's literature from treacly verse and goody-goody stories.
-- St Petersburg : A Cultural History, Solomon Volkov
Holmes flattered Gertie and Julia with smiles and gifts and treacly praise-especially Gertie-and how the women glowed in response.
-- Erik Larson, The Devil in the White City
Everyone has already said so, so let me add my congratulations to NBC: You guys made this the most dumbed-down, unremittingly sappy, embarrassingly treacly, watch-this-mug cry-for-the-anthem Olympic coverage in television history.
-- Paul Vitello, "Let the Sap Flow in Sydney", Newsday, August 6, 1996
Treacly is formed from treacle, from Middle English triacle, "antidote against poison," from Old French, from Latin theriaca, from Greek theriake (antidotos), "(antidote against a poisonous bite from) a wild animal," feminine of theriakos, "of wild animals," from therion, diminutive of ther, "wild animal."
Dictionary.com Entry and Pronunciation for treacly
