short note: black strap molasses

[Charles C Doyle]

I've always heard this word-play in the form of a riddle-joke:  "What's better than 'lassas?" / "Mo-lassas."

In my part of east Texas, "ribbon cane" was distinguished from "sorghum"--the later, the source of "blackstrap molassas," being considered inferior to "ribbon cane," the source of "ribbon cane syrup."  I haven't checked the dialect atlases.

--Charlie

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From: American Dialect Society [ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] on behalf of David A. Daniel [dad at POKERWIZ.COM]
Sent: Friday, May 27, 2011 6:41 AM
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If you didn't get enough lasses you can ask for molasses.
DAD

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