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Idiom; to attempt an ill-advised, mildly unpleasant shortcut to avoid a more complicated process, with a high probability of failure. The idiom itself is an example of such an experience, since licking trees is unpleasant, and even maple trees rarely taste sweet just by licking the bark. The idiom also implies that tried and true methods, rather than blind experimentation, yield better results. Drilling into the trunk of a maple tree with a tap, is the correct way to obtain maple syrup.
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