onion-y

onion-y (comparative more onion-y, superlative most onion-y)

1. Alternative form of oniony.
   • 1876 January, Pipsissiway Potts [pseudonym; Rosella Rice], “Home-Life and Character. Pottsville Papers. […] No. 1.”, in Arthur’s Illustrated Home Magazine, volume XLIV, number 1, Philadelphia, Pa.: T[imothy] S[hay] Arthur & Son, page 48, column 1:

     Speaking of onions, reminds me that perhaps Lily cooks them differently from the way you girls do. The deacon says he thinks her way is admirable because it leaves no onion-y taste in his mouth afterward. She slices and boils them in milk and water—about equal quantities—until they are quite soft, then pours it off and seasons with salt and pepper and adds a little cream and butter. The advantage lies in the boiling and extracting the strong flavor,

   • 1934, F[rancesca] R[aimonde] La Monte, M[icaela] H. Welch, Vanishing Wilderness, New York, N.Y.: Liveright Publishing Company, page 225:

     Very often you will notice a slightly onion-y smell about the resting burrow of a male platypus.

   • 1998 September 30, Sally Patterson, “Eternally versatile onions”, in The Berkshire Eagle, Pittsfield, Mass., page D2:

     Pickled onions pack all the zing of a raw onion, but without the onion-y aftertaste.