sugar rush
noun phrase

- a short period of hyperactivity
- a purported state of hyperactivity caused by excessive consumption of sugar, or other simple carbohydrates.

Wiktionary / The Cambridge Dictionary

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ORIGIN

The original sugar rush, appearing in the late 1890s, was the sweet equivalent of a gold rush. As the population of the United States exploded in size and wealth, the demand for sugar skyrocketed with it, creating a sugar rush in which sugar was shipped in huge quantities from Central America and the Caribbean to refineries in North America. Sugar rush also made appearances in news articles during World War II to describe households “rushing” to get sugar when they could, as it was rationed during the war.

As more and more sugar made its way into the everyday diet after World War II, another meaning of sugar rush emerged: a short-lived surge of energy felt after eating or drinking something sweet. This meaning of sugar rush dates from at least the 1980s.

Although there is widespread scientific skepticism around the actual effect of sugar on hyperactivity, belief in ‘sugar rushes’ is widespread in the general public, especially when it comes to the behaviour of small children.

It is not uncommon to see ‘sugar rush’ used metaphorically to describe a short-lived period of intense activity, with no connection to sugar.

EXAMPLE

“A market saturated with government bonds might experience a SUGAR RUSH of economic activity before increasing interest rates slows down buying and selling.”

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OOPS!

Ironically, rather than making people feel energized and hyped, new research in the journal ‘Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews’ suggests that eating sweet foods actually causes people to experience the opposite: fatigue and a lack of alertness.

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Practice OWAD in an English conversation, say something like:

“Do you remember a year ago, when we all got caught up in a SUGAR RUSH of toilet-paper buying?”

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Paul Smith