# sugar, sweet



## ThomasK

There have been some sweet threads here, but I'd like to look at it from a more general perspective...

I'd like to know if you have a *sugar* N (of course), V (to sugar), ADJ (sugary???), and whether you can use them in a figurative way. I'd be interested to hear about your word for *sweet* and how you use it in a figurative sense (e.g., in what contexts). It is basically about whether sweet things still sounds affectionate, or pleasant, or ...


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## ThomasK

Dutch:
- *suiker*, ???, suikerachtig perhaps (sugar-ish, sugar-y ???)/ *gesuikerd* (sugared, only referring to the technical process of adding sugar)
We can add use *sugar-* in a compound though: _suikertante/ suiker-oom_ (generous uncle or ant, like a sugardaddy), _suikerbonen_ (sugar pills [beans] offered to family and friends on the occasion of a baby birth party in Belgium)
- *zoet *(sweet), mostly literal nowadays; it used to be a very affectionate adjective before; now there is only _(geen) zoetekauw_ (someone with a (or no) sweet tooth), that must be about it. There is _zoete wraak_ (sweet revenge), but I don't come across it anymore, I'd say.

But there has been a campaign against sugar in the media these years... Maybe that explains something.


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## bibax

Czech:

*cukr* N (obviously from Ger. Zucker);
*cukrovati* V (perf. po-, o-)
*cukrový* adj : cukrová vata (Zuckerwatte) =  cotton candy, cukrová řepa/třtina = sugar beet/cane, cukrový meloun = honeydew melon, cukrový špalek (lit. sugar log) = stick of rock;
*cukerní* adj. related to sugar industry, e.g. cukerní zákon (Zuckergesetz) = Sugar Act.

*(po)cukrovat* means _to sprinkle sth with sugar_ (e.g. the sponge cake);

fig. krajina *pocukrovaná* sněhem = landscape sprinkled with snow;

*cukrovat *= to coo (about turtle doves), *cukrú-cukrú* = coo-coo;
*cukrovat (se)* = to bill and coo (about lovers);

Otherwise Czech prefers *sladký - (o)sladiti* (sweet - to sweeten) in most cases.


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## ThomasK

Very interesting thanks. So s_ugar_ is used more often in fig. contexts than _sweet_ is, isn't it? Does the dove sound really refer to sugar?


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## apmoy70

Greek:

-Sugar (noun): *«Ζάχαρη»* [ˈzaxaɾi] (fem.) < Koine 3rd declension fem. *«σάκχαρις» sắkkʰaris* (nom. sing.), *«σακχάρεως» săkkʰắrĕōs* (gen. sing.) < Classical 3rd declension neut. noun *«σάκχαρ» sắkkʰar* (nom. sing.), *«σάκχαρος» sắkkʰarŏs* --> _sugar_ (an early Anatolian (Luwian?) loan, ultimately from the Indic (Pāli) sakkharā, _sugar_).
MoGr proverb *«τα λίγα λόγια ζάχαρη και τα καθόλου μέλι»* [ta ˈliɣa ˈloʝa ˈzaxaɾi ce ta kaˈθolu ˈmeli] --> _least said is sugar, silence is honey_

-Sugar (verb): *«Ζαχαρώνω»* [zaxaˈɾono] --> _to sprinkle sugar, cover with sugar_ (modern construction, mid-19th c.). Also *«ζαχαριάζω»* [zaxarˈʝazo] (colloq.).
The latter describes _sugar-talk, sweet-talk_, even _flirt, canoodle_ too.

-Sugary (adj.): *«Ζαχαρώδης, -ης, -ες»* [zaxaˈɾoðis] (masc. & fem.), [zaxaˈɾoðes] (neut.), a modern word (1856) < earlier *«σακχαρώδης»* [sakxaˈɾoðis] (1799).
*«Σακχαρώδης διαβήτης»* [sakxaˈɾoðis ði.aˈvitis] (both masc.) --> _Diabetes mellitus_

-Sweet: *«Γλυκός, -κιά, -κό»* [ɣliˈkos] (masc.), [ɣliˈca] (fem.), [ɣliˈko] (neut.) --> _sweet, suave, adorable, mellow, (nominalized neut.) sweet treat, confection, sweet dessert_ < Classical nominal *«γλυκύς, -κεῖα, -κύ» glŭkús* (masc.), *glŭkeî̯a* (fem.), *glŭkú* (neut.) --> _pleasant, delightful, sweet_ (archaic *«δλυκύς» dlukús* -->_ sweet_ (PIE *dḷkú- _sweet_ cf. Lat. dulcis))

Edit: Corrected some mistakes & misspellings


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## ThomasK

Is the conlusion here too ,that _sweet_ is very often literal? In what combinations would you use *Γλυκός* in a fig. sense?


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## bibax

ThomasK said:


> Very interesting thanks. So s_ugar_ is used more often in fig. contexts than _sweet_ is, isn't it?


Probably yes.

"cukr a bič" = sugar and whip, e.g. policy;


ThomasK said:


> Does the dove sound really refer to sugar?


Try this audio "Calls of a Spotted Dove - HD Audio" on YTB. The dove is saying "tsoo-kroo", not "coo-coo". She is clearly begging for some sugar (cukru, part. gen. of cukr).


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## ThomasK

"cukr a bič" reminds me of the German "Peitsche und Zuckerbrot", so interestingly different from "carrot and stick"...

I'll talk to some Belgian pigeons around here. We generally describe it as "coo-coo", but I can well imagine Slavic pigeons calling for sugar! ;-) Does that sound like wooing too, courting, as is considered typical of turtles, I believe?


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## bibax

There is certain difference between the pigeon and the turtle-dove. The pigeons make the sound "vrrr-cooo", the turtles make "tsoo-crooooo" with trilled R, the cuckoos make "coo-coo" (short coo without any R), at least in Bohemia and Moravia.

Hrdličky *cukrují*. = The turtle-doves coo (make "cukrú").
Holubi *vrkají*. = The pigeons coo (make "vrkú").

Gaga a Taylor spolu *cukrují* jako dvě hrdličky. = Gaga and Taylor bill and coo like two turtle-doves. _(from a Czech tabloid)_

*cukrovat* (< cukr, lit. to sprinkle sugar on sth, e.g. cake) = to bill and coo (to kiss and whisper amorously, to kiss or fondle and whisper endearments, to kiss or caress and murmur endearments);


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## ThomasK

Interesting  note. I can imagine there is a difference, but I do not see any around here. But I love the _cukrovat_ verb, with its sugar link...

Still looking forward to some Asian contributions because they might be quite different...


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## franknagy

Hungarian
Noun: Cukor
Verb: cukroz, megcukroz -> Past Participle: cukrozott
Adjective: cukros

+
cukrosbácsi = sugar daddy


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## ThomasK

Thanks, but do you also have 'sweet' in HUngarian? (édes?) And  especially: do you use any of those in a fig. sense? _Sugar daddy_ is one example, but how about a _Sugar aunt, _or someone the like? Or another compound composed of 'sugar' + N?


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## ThomasK

These are references to the use of sweet in Japanese, as in 'a sweet girl', or something.

彼女は感じのいい子だ。[She is a nice/ sweet girl, according to Google Translate]
感じのいい or 感じがいい [I feel nice OR I feel good, id.]

But then the first seems quite OK, the same as in English. Yet, as for the second sentence, no English speaker would say: "I feel sweet" - nor is it a matter of feeling, I think, more like sensing. The meaning of "sweet" in Japanese seems to be way broader, doesn't it?


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## SuperXW

In Chinese:
1. There are 糖 (n. sugar, candy) and 甜 (adj. sweet taste).
2. 甜 (adj. sweet taste) is often used in a figurative sense, not 糖 (n.)
3. Example. 笑得真甜 (the smile is really sweet), 睡得很甜 (sleep sweetly), 甜美的日子(sweet life), 尝到甜头(have tasted the some sweet, meaning have got some benefit)


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## ThomasK

Thanks! Can 'sweet' be used to refer to 'beloved', or 'kind'? (My sweet girl, ...)


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## SuperXW

I can only think of the loanword 甜心"sweetheart" existing in Chinese, especially in translated works. But in other cases (such as "my sweet girl"), no, 甜"sweet" cannot mean "beloved/kind".


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## franknagy

ThomasK said:


> Thanks, but do you also have 'sweet' in HUngarian? (édes?) And  especially: do you use any of those in a fig. sense? _Sugar daddy_ is one example, but how about a _Sugar aunt, _or someone the like? Or another compound composed of 'sugar' + N?


The initial question was about "sugar". Sweet=édes can be anything else, like honey=méz.
"_Sugar aunt" = "cukrosnéni" does not exist._
>'sugar' + N
Cukorfalat = sweet baby.
Cukorsüveg = sugar loaf. Here süveg=a conic kind of hat 
Cukorsüveg-hegy=The symbol of Rio de Janeiro.
Cukortartó = sugar holder
Cukorfogó = pair of sugar tongs.





Cukorrépa=sugar-beet
Cukornád=sugar-cane

Répacukor=Sugar made of beet.
Nádcukor=sugar made of cane.
Szőlőcukor = glucose (szőlő=grape).


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## ThomasK

But then there are very few figurative expressions containing "sugar" or "sweet"; only _cukrofalat_... Is that correct?


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## bibax

In some Hungarian movies I heard a strange address *"édes úr"*. It was translated literally as _"sladký pane"_ (= _sweet sir_). It sounds really weird in Czech.

Shakespeare's Autolycus in Winter's Tale (btw, in coastal Bohemia , not in Hungary) addresses someone *"sweet sir"*, in a Hungarian translation naturally _"édes úr"_, but Czech translations use _"líbezný pane"_ or _"roztomilý pane"_ (= lovely or lovable sir).


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## franknagy

ThomasK said:


> But then there are very few figurative expressions containing "sugar" or "sweet"; only _cukrofalat_... Is that correct?


Spelling: "CukOrfalat".
The "O" of the root of the noun "cukOr" is omitted in certain grammatical cases.
Accusative: cukrOt. [This O is the binging vowel.]
Plural: cukrOk.  [This O is the binging vowel.] (Carbohydrates)
!!!
But it remain in the stem: cukOrral = with sugar, cukOrból = [made] from sugar.
-----
When we are outdoors during  a rain without raincoat, we say "Nem vagyunk cukorból" = "We aren't made from sugar. 
-----
Expressions, idioms
Édes = sweet --> édesem = my darling.

We address politely our parents: édesapám (f), édesanyám (m),  édes szüleim (both).

Cukorborsó = sugar-pea.
Curkorbeteg = diabetic. (Beteg=sick.)
veszik, mint a cukrot = to be selling like hot cakes

A very unhealthy sweetie is the "törökméz"="Turkish honey"=" (?) honeycomb toffee.





Ide nézz! Törökméz, fele cukor, fele méz.


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## AndrasBP

bibax said:


> In some Hungarian movies I heard a strange address *"édes úr"*. It was translated literally as _"sladký pane"_ (= _sweet sir_). It sounds really weird in Czech.
> 
> Shakespeare's Autolycus in Winter's Tale (btw, in coastal Bohemia , not in Hungary) addresses someone *"sweet sir"*, in a Hungarian translation naturally _"édes úr"_, but Czech translations use _"líbezný pane"_ or _"roztomilý pane"_ (= lovely or lovable sir).


I've never ever heard "édes úr" and it sounds really weird in Hungarian too. However, the terms _édesapám (lit. my sweet father) _and _édesanyám (my sweet mother)_ are quite common, although getting old-fashioned.


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## bibax

One more Shakespeare in Hungarian:
_Jön a Király (Claudius enters)_
KIRÁLYNÉ: Nézd meg ezt, *édes uram*! (Alas, look here, _my lord_!)

From a Hungarian fairy-tale:
Szegény sose látott még ezüstpénzt, így túrónak gondolta.
- Jaj, *édes uram*, mit találtál? - Túrót, lelkem, túrót! Jó haluskát csinálhatsz belõle,...


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## AndrasBP

Oh, OK. 
"Uram" in your examples refers to a _husband _(though the literal meaning is "my lord").


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## bibax

Dumas' Monte Cristo:
De, *édes uram* - válaszolt Monte Cristo elhatározva, ...

In Czech it would be rather:_ (můj) milý pane_ (= kedves uram) than _(můj) sladký pane_;

Probably the addressing "édes uram" (sweet sir/lord) is quite dated in Hungarian.


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## AndrasBP

bibax said:


> Probably the addressing "édes uram" (sweet sir/lord) is quite dated in Hungarian.


It certainly is.


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## Ghabi

ThomasK said:


> 彼女は感じのいい子だ。[She is a nice/ sweet girl, according to Google Translate]
> [...]
> The meaning of "sweet" in Japanese seems to be way broader, doesn't it?


_kanji no ii_ means "agreeable/pleasant", not "sweet". The word for "sweet" is _amai_, which does have a range of meanings (e.g. "naive") not found in English or perhaps other European languages.


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## apmoy70

ThomasK said:


> Is the conlusion here too ,that _sweet_ is very often literal? In what combinations would you use *Γλυκός* in a fig. sense?


*«Γλυκός ύπνος»* [ɣliˈkos ˈipnos] (both masc.) --> _sweet sleep_ (i.e. pleasant sleep/nap)
*«Γλυκιά κοπέλα»* [ɣliˈca koˈpela] (both fem.) --> _sweet lass_ (i.e. a beautiful but not necesserily a sexually attractive young woman)
*«Γλυκό πρωινό»* [ɣliˈko pro.iˈno] (both neut.) --> _sweet morning_ (i.e. a sunny and pleasant morning, neither hot, nor windy)


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## ilocas2

ThomasK said:


> I'd be interested to hear about your word for *sweet* and how you use it in a figurative sense (e.g., in what contexts). It is basically about whether sweet things still sounds affectionate, or pleasant, or ...



In Serbocroatian, the word _sweet_ means also _cute_ and it's *the most used word for cute*.


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## ThomasK

Ghabi said:


> _kanji no ii_ means "agreeable/pleasant", not "sweet". The word for "sweet" is _amai_, which does have a range of meanings (e.g. "naive") not found in English or perhaps other European languages.


 So we'd need to correct Google T, but then: could Inot  say that the kanji means "sweet" but not in a lit., only in a fig. sense, something like agreeable, pleasant, kind?

If I can believe Google, then "amai" is 甘い. Google mentions naive, generous, lax, which I could imagine, are related somehow. But then it does not mean literally sweet ('sugary'), does it?

My main focus is: how many of the literal _sugar/ sweet_ words have a figurative meaning?


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## ilocas2

Anyway, the humankind used honey as a sweetener from the time of yore, not sugar. This explains why there are more idioms with honey that with sugar.


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## ThomasK

You're quite right, that is something I had not realized at first! And indeed, "honey" is very affectionate in English, whereas we only have "zeemzoet", which is a word we mostly use in a figurative sense, and we use an old or dialectal word...


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## Red Arrow

ThomasK said:


> There is _zoete wraak_ (sweet revenge), but I don't come across it anymore, I'd say.
> 
> But there has been a campaign against sugar in the media these years... Maybe that explains something.


Mijn wraak zal zoet zijn!! (My revenge (wrath) will be sweet!!)

Hence you never hear it. It sounds like it comes straight from a cartoon. Or some horror movie from the 30s.


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## ThomasK

You're right: in this form it seems to be more common...


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## Armas

Finnish:

_makea_ "sweet"
_makea uni, voitto _"sweet sleep, victory" (pleasant)
_makeat vaatteet_ "sweet clothes" (nice looking, stylish, cool)
_makea elämä_ "sweet life" (luxurious, full of pleasures)

_makeilla_ "to ingratiate, to fawn" and "to brag"

_sokeri_ -> _sokeroida_ "to sugar"
_sokerina pohjalla_ "as the sugar on the bottom" is the most pleasant thing that happens or is said last
_sokerinen_ "sugary"

_imelä_ "(too) sweet"
_äitelä_ "disgustingly sweet"
_siirappinen_ "syrupy"

The last three can be anything overly pleasant, sentimental, romantic.


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## Red Arrow

English:

Sweet! = Awesome!


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## Frieder

German:

Noun: Zucker
Adjective: _lit.:_süß, _fig.:_ süß (sweet)
Verb: _lit.:_ zuckern, süßen (to sugar/to sweeten), _fig.:_ versüßen (to sugar/to sweeten)


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