Meaning of syllabub | Babel Free

Definitions

1. A drink dating back to the 16th century consisting primarily of milk curdled with an alcoholic beverage or some acid such as lemon juice, which is usually then sweetened and spiced.
   countable, uncountable
2. A dessert pudding derived from the drink.
   countable, uncountable
3. Something lacking substance; something frothy, insubstantial, or lightweight.
   countable, dated, figuratively, uncountable

Examples

“I shall yet think⟳ it a diminution to our happiness, to miss⟳ of half our companions and compotators of syllabub, not to have⟳ Mr. Newsham and his dogs, and his preceptors, and his dearly-beloved cousin, and his mathematics, and his Greek, and his horses.”

“In the evening I ſhall hope⟳ for the honour of your Lordſhip's company to take⟳ a diſh of tea there, or a ſullabub warm from the cow.”

“Whip Syllabubs. Take⟳ a Pint of thin Cream, rub a Lump of Loaf Sugar on the Out-ſide of a Lemon, and ſweeten it to your Taſte, then put⟳ in the Juice of a Lemon, and a Glaſs of Madeira Wine, or French Brandy, mill it to a Froth with a Chocolate Mill, and take⟳ it off as it riſes, and lay⟳ it upon a Hair Sieve, then fill⟳ one half of your Poſſet Glaſſes, a little more than half full with White Wine, and the other half of your Glaſſes a little more than half full of Red Wine, then lay⟳ on your Froth as high as you can, but obſerve that it is well drained on your Sieve, or it will mix⟳ with your Wine, and ſpoil your Syllabubs.”

“To Make⟳ a Syllabub under the Cow. Put⟳ a bottle of either red or white wine, ale, or cyder, into a china bowl, sweeten it with sugar, and grate in some nutmeg; then hold⟳ it under the cow, and milk into it till it has a fine froth at the top; strew over it a handful of currants, clean⟳ washed and picked, and plumped before the fire. You may make⟳ this syllabub at home, by having new milk made as warm as from the cow, and pouring it out of a tea pot, or any other vessel with a spout, holding your hand very high.”

“London Syllabub. Put⟳ a pint and a half of port or white wine into a bowl, nutmeg grated, and a good deal⟳ of sugar, then milk into it near two quarts of milk, frothed up. If the wine be not rather sharp, it will require⟳ more for this quantity of milk. In Devonshire clouted cream is put⟳ on the top, and pounded cinnamon and sugar.”

“[A]s small boys, we pelt one another and the village school-girls and our nursemaids and young lady cousins with they hay, till, hot and weary, we retire⟳ to tea or syllabub beneath the shade of some great oak or elm standing up like⟳ a monarch out of the fair pasture; […]”

“[H]is kind mother, when she fancied the croquet was flagging, thought of a sillabub—and lo! in walked a meek looking cow, adorned with flowers, and furnished the party with a most fragrant and most refreshing draught.”

“Mother by hys sonne he hathe sende me a letter / Promysynge hereafter to be to vs better / And you and I with my greate clubbe / Muste walke to him and eate a solybubbe / and we shall make⟳ merye / and synge tyrle on the berye […]”

“To make⟳ Everlasting Syllabubs. Take⟳ three pints of the thickest and sweetest cream you can get⟳, a pint of rhenish, half a pint of sack, three lemons, near a pound of double⟳ refined sugar, beat⟳ and sift your sugar, and put⟳ it to the cream; grate off the yellow rind of three lemons, put⟳ that in, and squeeze⟳ the juice of the three lemons into your wine; put⟳ that to the cream, beat⟳ all together with a whisk just half an hour, then take⟳ it up all together with a spoon, and fill⟳ your glasses.”

“Everlasting, or Solid, Syllabubs. Mix⟳ a quart of thick raw cream, one pound of refined sugar, a pint and a half of fine raisin wine, in a deep pan; put⟳ to it the grated peel and the juice of three lemons. Beat⟳, or whisk it one way, half an hour; then put⟳ it on a sieve with a bit of muslin laid smooth in the shallow end⟳ till next day. Put⟳ it in glasses. It will keep⟳ good, in a cool place⟳, ten days.”

“"Oh, I do dote on custard," remarks Mrs. Goram, with a mincing smirk, "it is such an improvement to a tart." / "I dote on syllabub," interposed Miss⟳ Jemima, sentimentally.”

“Mushroom soup. Curried chicken and rice. Syllabubs. A savoury of chicken livers and bacon.”

“I like⟳ Paul's plain style best. Better to feed⟳ the appetite of the hungry, than to tickle⟳ the fancies of the whimsical. This breed⟳ of preachers are apt soon to preach themselves out of breath, and come⟳ to nothing. May you and I never be the retailers of such whipt-syllabub divinity—better keep⟳ a cook's-shop to satisfy⟳ the craving appetite, than a confectioner's-shop to regale the depraved appetite of the dainty. Good brown-bread preaching is the best after all.”

“The truth is, the members indulged in too flippant a tone of discussion. The papers read⟳ every Saturday evening were characterized less by depth than buffoonery. They were all whipped syllabub. There was no investigation of first causes, first principles. There was no investigation of anything at all.”

CEFR level