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# treacle

noun (treacle, uncountable)

«treacle» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. (UK, Ireland, Australia, NZ) A thick, sticky, dark sweet syrup made when sugar is refined; black treacle is very dark, golden syrup is a light kind. Americans call it molasses. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/treacle/#m1)
2. Something too sweet or sentimental, like a soppy speech. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/treacle/#m2)

### In the lessons

Treacle is used in baking: treacle tart, gingerbread, parkin, sticky toffee pudding. In Alice in Wonderland, the Dormouse tells a story about three sisters who lived at the bottom of a treacle-well and drew treacle; Alice thinks it is nonsense. «Treacle-well» is a real old phrase for a healing spring. Phrases: «black treacle», «treacle tart», «as slow as treacle».

### Examples

- Harry Potter's favourite pudding is treacle tart. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/treacle/#x1)
- Mum added a spoonful of black treacle to the gingerbread. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/treacle/#x2)
- The three little sisters lived at the bottom of a treacle-well. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/treacle/#x3)
- The mud was as thick as treacle. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/treacle/#x4)
- Americans call treacle molasses. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/treacle/#x5)
- My hands were sticky with treacle. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/treacle/#x6)
- The Dormouse said the sisters were learning to draw treacle. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/treacle/#x7)
- Here he was invited to take a mug of brown beer with treacle and sugar. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/treacle/#x8)

### Note

Uncountable: «some treacle», not «a treacle». In the UK golden syrup and treacle are related but not the same. In the US the word is molasses. A «treacly» film is too sweet and sentimental.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «treacle» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/T/treacle/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«treacle» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/treacle.html) on Mova free.