Literary notes about syrupy (AI summary)
The term “syrupy” is used in literature with impressive versatility, evoking both tangible textures and metaphorical overtones. It often describes substances with a thick, viscous, and sweet consistency—as seen when it characterizes the reduced liquid in coffee or congealed sap, lending a sensory richness to the passage [1], [2]. At the same time, “syrupy” can depict an overly polished or cloying quality in language or behavior, illustrated by a “honey-tongued, syrupy gentleman” or a voice that oozes saccharine sentiment [3], [4]. Additionally, it helps set the scene in atmospheric descriptions, as when a late summer afternoon is cast in a warm, almost tangible embrace [5]. This dual usage allows writers to enrich both the literal and figurative palette of their narratives.
- He was drinking a cup of thick, syrupy coffee, and soaking a rusk in it.
— from The Golden Silence by A. M. (Alice Muriel) Williamson - Later when I came back to inspect this tree, I noticed that the sap had congealed to syrupy blobs at the ends of the cut branches.
— from Growing Nuts in the North A Personal Story of the Author's Experience of 33 Years with Nut Culture in Minnesota and Wisconsin by Carl Weschcke - “A devil of a honey-tongued, syrupy gentleman!” mused Don Marcelo.
— from The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse by Vicente Blasco Ibáñez - It was entirely different, a cooing, syrupy voice that seemed to be a woman's."
— from The Professor's Mystery by Wells Hastings - They strolled into the syrupy warmth of a late Indian-summer afternoon.
— from Star-Dust: A Story of an American Girl by Fannie Hurst
