Literary notes about scalding (AI summary)
The word "scalding" is employed to evoke both a palpable physical quality and an intense emotional experience in literature. It frequently describes liquids at searing temperatures—whether syrup poured over ginger [1], fat falling on bare flesh [2], or milk and tea heated to just the right point for culinary perfection [3],[4]—underscoring the immediacy and danger of heat. At the same time, it conveys emotional extremity, as seen in phrases like "scalding tears" that mark overwhelming sorrow or passion [5],[6],[7]. Additionally, its usage extends metaphorically to sensations of pain and intensity, such as the burning ache in the heart [8] or the imagery of scalding steam that mirrors mounting indecision [9]. This multifaceted application of "scalding" enriches the text by intertwining the physical experience of heat with the burning fervor of human emotion.
- Then reboil the syrup, and pour over the ginger scalding hot.
— from Common Sense in the Household: A Manual of Practical Housewifery by Marion Harland - As this cooked, the scalding drops of fat continually fell on the bare flesh.
— from Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Written by Herself by Harriet A. Jacobs - Otherways, you may steep your oatmeal in warm mutton broth, or scalding milk, or boil it in a bag.
— from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson - To extract the greatest virtue of coffee grind it fine and pour scalding water over it.
— from All About Coffee by William H. Ukers - All at once her cheeks were wet with scalding tears.
— from The Calling of Dan Matthews by Harold Bell Wright - Her heart was wrung again, and again the scalding tears fell.
— from Danger Signals Remarkable, Exciting and Unique Examples of the Bravery, Daring and Stoicism in the Midst of Danger of Train Dispatchers and Railroad Engineers by Jasper Ewing Brady - the first tears I have shed since boyhood rushed scalding into my eyes when I saw him."
— from The Last Man by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley - Arkady felt a scalding pain at his heart; he felt vexed and sad and oppressed to see Vasya not trusting him, hiding and concealing himself from him.
— from White Nights and Other Stories by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - Sylvia felt her indecision mount in a cloud about her, like blinding, scalding steam.
— from The Bent Twig by Dorothy Canfield Fisher
