Hi, Anton!  Recently you wrote in a message to Dallas Hinton:

AS>  Things have changed since 1913 -- the year of the classic
AS>  edition of M.-W, which I had the honor of consulting.


         Uh-huh.  If you're referring to the work of Konstantin Paustovsky, who
was born in 1892 & wrote a lot of historical fiction, this spelling may reflect
the language his characters would have used.  Since his name is not a household
word in North America, you may need to explain to your readers in E_T that what
you are asking about is a bit different from what they would generally do.  :-Q



DH>  And for interest, WidiDiff says:

DH>  Syrup is an alternative form of sirup.
DH>  As nouns the difference between syrup and sirup is that
DH>  syrup is any thick liquid that is added to or poured over
DH>  food as a flavouring and has a high sugar content also
DH>  any viscous liquid while sirup is (obsolete) a thick and
DH>  viscid liquid made from the juice of fruits, herbs, etc,
DH>  boiled with sugar.

AS>  Although based on an accidental spelling variation, the
AS>  distinction is quite useful


         ... if your readers are aware of it, which the majority may not be.  I
didn't know about it until Dallas pointed it out.  But when the author uses the
word "treacly", I think of the former because "treacle" [UK] = "molasses" [US].
While it was originally derived from sugar cane, some folks equate it with corn
syrup.  Most types are already quite sweet & thus no added sugar is needed.  In
the US & Canada we also have maple syrup derived from the sap of trees....  :-)




--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+