核心畫面

One way to picture treacle: the thick syrup left in the pan after sugar has been boiled. It is dark, it shines, and it pours far more slowly than water. It is very sweet — sweet enough that a little is lovely and a lot is too much. Hold both halves of that picture, the slow stickiness and the too-muchness of the sweetness, and the other uses of the word follow from it.

可以想成煮糖之後留在鍋底的那一層濃漿:深色、發亮,倒出來比水慢得多。它很甜,甜到一點點很好、多一點就膩。把這個畫面的更多收起可以想成煮糖之後留在鍋底的那一層濃漿:深色、發亮,倒出來比水慢得多。它很甜,甜到一點點很好、多一點就膩。把這個畫面的兩半都記住——又黏又慢,以及甜得可以過量——這個字後面的用法大致都從這裡長出來。

From the word’s history

Wiktionary traces treacle back through Middle English triacle to Ancient Greek thēriakḗ, 'an antidote'. The medieval antidote was a sweet, thick paste taken by the spoon, and the word followed that texture into the sugar pan.

依 Wiktionary,treacle 一路上溯到古希臘文 thēriakḗ「解毒藥」。中世紀的解毒藥是又甜又稠、要用湯匙挖的膏狀物,這個字就跟著那個口感,最後落在煮糖剩下的濃漿上。

Wiktionary, entry 'treacle' (packet etymology_text; source_ref kaikki:3f6f69a190036ae4:670919099:17956)

From the picture

甜到發膩的感情

糖漿的甜是可以過量的:多了就黏牙、化不開。把這個口感搬到話語、音樂和電影上,就成了肉麻。

noun · C1

Words, music, films or gifts that show love and other warm feelings in a way that is far too sweet, so it feels silly, and often not quite honest.

肉麻煽情

倫敦街頭的叫法

這一支不是從糖漿比喻過來的,走的是聲音的路:Cockney 押韻俚語 treacle tart 押 sweetheart,說久了只剩前半截。

noun · C2

Used in London street speech when talking to a woman, in the way that 'love' or 'sweetheart' is used. It comes from the rhyming slang 'treacle tart', which rhymes with 'sweetheart'.

親愛的(倫敦俚語)

Also in this word

noun · C1

A thick, dark brown or almost black liquid that is left when sugar is made from sugar cane. It is very sweet with a slightly bitter taste, and cooks use it in cakes, biscuits and puddings.

黑糖蜜

noun · C1

Golden syrup: a thick, clear, golden-coloured syrup made from sugar, very sweet and without the bitter taste of the dark kind. It is poured over puddings and used in baking.

金黃糖漿