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Literary notes about caustic (AI summary)

In literature, "caustic" functions on two principal levels, both literal and metaphorical. On one hand, it describes substances with a corrosive nature, such as potent alkalis that burn or dissolve matter, as seen when it refers to corrosive chemicals locking up acids and alkalies [1] or the strong solution of caustic potash [2]. On the other hand, the term characterizes a sharply cutting wit or severe criticism, highlighting personalities or comments that metaphorically burn with harsh, unyielding force. This dual usage appears in portrayals of characters with biting humor and caustic remarks—often depicted as cold, sarcastic, or cruel [3], [4], [5]—underscoring how language can evoke the destructive power associated with corrosive substances.
  1. The key that locks up the acids and caustic alkalies!
    — from Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
  2. Liquor Potassæ is a strong solution of caustic potash, and has a similar reaction.
    — from Aids to Forensic Medicine and Toxicology by W. G. Aitchison (William George Aitchison ) Robertson
  3. [Pg x] "How now?" said Scrooge, caustic and cold as ever.
    — from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
  4. Yet tho' his caustic wit was biting-rude, His heart was warm, benevolent, and good.
    — from Poems and Songs of Robert Burns by Robert Burns
  5. Before he was twenty-two, his caustic pen had got him into trouble.
    — from The World's Greatest Books — Volume 12 — Modern History

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