soothing syrup
- noun
- /ˈsuːðɪŋ ˈsɪrəp/
- Archaic
:
jarabe calmante
- After the long day, she took a dose of soothing syrup to relax before bedtime.
Examples
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There's a half a bottle of soothing syrup here.
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At that point, ignoring the usual mendacious assurances and soothing syrup of the Establishment, the commercial banks might be plunged into their ultimate crisis.
Blog text (28) -
The doctor recommended a soothing syrup to help the child sleep better at night.
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Parents often give their children soothing syrup when they're feeling anxious during storms.
Synonyms
1
8.7
A medicine or drink that makes you feel less worried
1
4.2
A small medicine like a lozenge that relieves throat irritation
Antonyms
How Sedating
- Specialized
76
5.4
- Archaic
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a syrup that provides calming or comforting effects' is directly and compositionally derived from the adjective 'soothing' (providing comfort) modifying 'syrup' (a thick liquid), so the overall sense follows standard adjective + noun semantics. This is a common, cross-linguistic compositional pattern and would be immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner who knows both constituent words.
Etymology
Soothing syrup comes from the simple image of a sweet, thick liquid given by spoon to calm a crying child. That's why it means a medicine that helps to 'calm' someone or make them 'sleep', often used for children.