I believe that’s a phrase used jokingly by tour guides to refer to the very real “Great Molasses Flood” of 1919.
On an unusually warm January day, a poorly-constructed industrial tank containing 2,300,000 US gallons (8,706,447 liters) of hot, fermenting molasses burst, sending a wave of heavy liquid, initially 25ft (8m) high, at 35mph (56km/h) through the surrounding busy neighborhood.
It was no joke: Some 21 people were killed; another 150 people were injured; several horses died; and the force of the wave bent the steel girders of the elevated railway nearby.
When the goo cooled and the bodies were removed, the city used fire hoses and salt water to try to wash the now near-solid molasses away. Supposedly, “the harbor was brown with molasses until Summer.”
The disaster brought about many legal changes, including the first requirements for construction oversight by licensed architects and civil engineers.
It’s kind of an interesting story. Lots more info online. E.G.:
Great Molasses Flood
The “Boston Molassacre”
Without Warning, Molasses in January Surged Over Boston
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