Every mother, at one time, has heard her child ask, “What’s the mashed potatoes taste like?” Trying to describe the taste of any food is like using sign language to describe the sound of music to a deaf person. You can define the texture of food (creamy, thick, watery, etc.) but you cannot describe its taste in such a way that the listener can taste it, without needing to taste it. Trying to describe “hot” or “cold” forces you into the realms of statistics. The degree of temperature establishes the state it is in, but does not communicate the food’s sensory condition. If then, the indescribable cannot be described, do not make the attempt. The only way a writer can prove the authenticity of a sensory condition and communicate its meaning is to DOCUMENT ITS EFFECT.
Example: (heat of the day) Long strips of sweat stained the back of his shirt. He shielded his eyes from the sun. He tore open his tight collar and staggered to the spread of shade beneath the leafy tree.
Ten sentences describing a cold day will not be as convincing as a single sentence documenting the *effect* of the day’s cold. “A heavy wind beat against the tree, rattling the branches laden with icicles.”
Language is impression, not substance. Prose merely identifies an assemblage of what exists in and around us. The ultimate success the writer can achieve is an allusion to what the sensory responses actually absorb. In the reader’s self-impression, “blistering hot” is not any hotter than “scalding hot.” The senses of the reader can only be provoked if he can be made to identify with the effects that the climate has on the character. The climate itself is indescribable. An effective allusion to climate (or any of the sensorial responses) can be achieved through the use of inanimate objects. “He cracked two eggs on the hot sidewalk and watched the yolks smoke and sizzle.”
Leonard Bishop: "Dare To Be A Great Writer"
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Yes, I got this from a book, but hopefully it is enough to state here that I have noted full credit where credit is due. Check out this book if it's at your library. Lots of helpful stuff inside.