a. Now dial. Also 6 walowyshe, -(e)ish, 7 wallouish. See also WALSH a. [f. WALLOW a. + -ISH.] Insipid, tasteless, flat; also, ill-tasting, nauseous, esp. through being over-sweet.
1548. Udall, Erasm. Par., Pref. to King a vj. Honey is waloweishe and ouercasteth the stomake.
a. 1586. Sidney, Arcadia, II. xvi. (Sommer), 172 b. Like the sicke man, to whom the Phisition sweares, the ill-lasting wallowish medicine he profers, is of a good taste.
1598. Florio, Disapito, vnsauorie, tasting of nothing, wallowish.
1601. Holland, Pliny, XXIV. i. II. 176. Salt giveth a good rellish to any meat that is over sweet, and tempereth those that have a lushious and wallowish tast.
1657. R. Ligon, Barbadoes, 80. This fruit [the water-melon] is … waterish, and wallowish.
1686. W. Harris, trans. Lemery’s Course Chym. (ed. 3), 557. The wallowish sweetness of Muste.
1691. Ray, N. C. Words, 78. In the South we say wallowish, meaning somewhat nauseous.
1886. [see WALLOW a.].
b. transf. and fig.
1549. Coverdale, etc., Erasm. Par. Jas., iv. 7–17. Therfore who so euer back biteth his neighbour, he either condemneth the lawe,… or backbiteth it as though it were to muche myngle mangled, and walowyshe, the office wherof the backbytour taketh vpon hym.
1603. Florio, Montaigne, I. xlii. 142. He is a foole, his taste is wallowish and distracted. Ibid., III. x. 610. My maners are mustie, rather wallowish then sharpe.
1609. G. Benson, Serm., 7 May, 13. Though those sixe petitions deliuered by our hearts and tongues (by reason of the mixture of our vanity) bee full of water, weake, wallowish.
c. Comb.: † wallowish-sweet a., so sweet as to cloy, sickly.
1576. Turberv., Venerie, lxviii. 189. Few hounds will eate of a Foxes fleshe, but a Badgerdes is wallowish sweet & rammish.
1577. Eden, Hist. Trav. W. & E. Indies, 328 b. Theyr milk is walowish sweete.
Hence Wallowishly adv., Wallowishness.
1603. Florio, Montaigne, II. xii. 349. The distasted impute wallowishnesse vnto Wine. Ibid., III. xii. 631. There are some beauties,… pleasing-sweete and yet wallowishly tastelesse.
1611. Cotgr., Affadissement, wallowishnesse, vnsauorinesse, tastlesnesse.
