[f. prec. sb.]
† 1. trans. To make into a ‘treacle’; to give the qualities of a ‘treacle’ to. Obs. rare–1.
c. 1500. Bollard, trans. Godfredus on Palladius. To make a vyne treaclede.
2. To smear or spread with treacle; to dose with (brimstone and) treacle; to sweeten or render palatable with treacle (also fig.).
1838. Dickens, Nich. Nick., viii. A long row of boys waiting … to be treacled.
1873. Daily News, 11 Nov., 5/4. The pill may be treacled with apparent concessions.
1906. Daily Chron., 28 March, 1/2. ‘Treacle’ thieves … treacled the window…, broke the glass with a brick, and stole eight trays of jewellery.
Mod. We treacle the trunks of trees, in order to attract moths.
b. To catch (moths) by attracting them with treacle or the like spread on trees.
1905. Daily Chron., 29 June, 8/1. Country rambles with long-handled nets and cool summer night trips, ‘treacling’ moths.
3. intr. To flow as treacle, to trickle. humorous nonce-use.
1899. ‘A. Hope,’ King’s Mirror, xxiii. I could almost see the words treacling from his thick lips.
Hence Treacled ppl. a., smeared with treacle; Treacling vbl. sb.
1895. Daily News, 11 Oct., 7/3. The thieves … smashed the window, having previously placed some treacled paper upon it to deaden the sound.
1903. Daily Chron., 10 June, 7/2. There were barely enough flies to make a decent show on the treacled paper which constitutes his advertisement.
1913. Daily Citizen, Oct., 4/2. The catching of insects by this method of treacling requires great experience before it is successful.
