melasses

Noun

molasses

1. (uncountable, usually) A thick, sweet syrup drained from sugarcane, especially (Canada, US) the still thicker and sweeter syrup produced by boiling down raw molasses.
   • Well, we had our breakfast of ship's bread and molasses, washed down with cannikins of something liquid - but not lovely.1907 February 2, The Chronicle, Adelaide, page 50, column 2
2. (US, uncountable, usually) Any similarly thick and sweet syrup produced by boiling down fruit juices, tree saps, etc., especially concentrated maple syrup.
   • Boiled some cornstalk juice into molasses.1777 Sept. 13, Manessah Cutler, Journal, s.v.
3. (figuratively, uncountable, usually) Anything considered figuratively sweet, especially sweet words.
   • He really poured on the molasses, charming his audience and changing more than a few votes.

   Synonyms:

   sugar and honey

4. (figuratively, uncountable, usually) Something which moves or works extremely slowly.
   • Though faster than typing, the daisy wheel is molasses compared to dot matrix printers.1990, Norman Schreiber, Your Home Office, New York, N.Y.: Perennial Library, →ISBN, page 91
5. (Scotland, obsolete, rare, uncountable, usually) Synonym of molass: whiskey made from molasses.

   Synonyms:

   molass