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

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

AH>  Uh-huh.  If you're referring to the work of Konstantin
AH>  Paustovsky, who was born in 1892 & wrote a lot of historical
AH>  fiction, this spelling may reflect the language his characters
AH>  would have used.

AS>  I am finishing his collected works and have not encountered a
AS>  lot of historical fiction, except the historical parts of
AS>  "Tale of the North" and "Story of the woods", both of which
AS>  continue roughly at the time of writing.


          Okay.  Maybe "a lot" is an exaggeration, but I hadn't read his works
for myself & was extrapolating from other people's comments....  :-)



AS>  There is of course the long poetico-romantico-impressionist-
AS>  quasi-autobiographical novel "Story of a Life", but I skipped
AS>  it because I had spent too much time, and too recently,
AS>  listening to it on radio.

AH>  Since his name is not a household word in North America, you
AH>  may need to explain to your readers in E_T that what you are
AH>  asking about is a bit different from what they would
AH>  generally do.  :-Q

AS>  Good advice, but this time I was not trying make it sound
AS>  dated.


          In that case I reckon "syrup" would be a better choice because AFAIC
it's sweet, thick or heavy, and translucent.  The description of "sirop" seems
to indicate it might contain recognizable bits of fruit as well....  :-)



AS>  [ Syrup / sirup ]

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


AH>  ... if your readers are aware of it, which the majority
AH>  may not be.  I didn't know about it until Dallas pointed
AH>  it out.  But when the author uses the word "treacly", I
AH>  think of the former because "treacle" [UK] = "molasses" [US].

AS>  And I was certain the adjective had become more general than
AS>  the noun, i.e.: adj. cloyingly sweet or sentimental.


          Not in this part of the world, at any rate, although something which
is cloyingly sweet or sentimental may be described as "treacle".



AH>  While it was originally derived from sugar cane, some folks
AH>  equate it with corn syrup.  Most types are already quite sweet
AH>  & thus no added sugar is needed.  In the US & Canada we also
AH>  have maple syrup derived from the sap of trees....  :-)

AS>  Not specifically from maple sap? I like its taste but don't buy
AS>  it frequently because the imported product is expensive here.


          Yes... specifically from the sap of the sugar maple tree which grows
in Vermont & Quebec (and possibly in a few other places).  It's expensive here
too, so Dallas & I reserve it as a treat for use whenever we go camping.  :-))




--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+