adj. (colloquial).—Monstrous: hence a generic intensive = great; long; exceedingly good, bad, pretty, etc. Thus an AWFUL (= very unpleasant) TIME; AWFUL (= side-splitting) FUN; AWFULLY (= uncommonly) JOLLY, etc. Also PENNY-AWFUL = a blood-curdling tale: cf. DREADFUL SHOCKER, BLOOD-AND-GUTS STORY, etc. As adv. = exceedingly, extremely.
1816. J. LAMBERT, Travels through Canada and the U.S., etc. [BARTLETT]. The country people of the New England States make use of many quaint expressions in their conversation. Every thing that creates surprise is AWFUL with them: ‘What an AWFUL wind! AWFUL hole! AWFUL hill! AWFUL mouth! AWFUL nose!’ etc.
1856. WHITCHER, The Widow Bedott Papers, 89. I never thought that was so AWFUL handsome as some folks does.
1830. T. P. THOMPSON, Exercises, Political and Others (1842), I. 238. He will have made an AWFULLY bad choice if he comes to be sentenced to be hanged.
1834. LAMB, The Gentle Giantess [Works (1871), 363]. She is indeed, as the Americans would express it, something AWFUL.
1843. B. R. HALL (‘Robert Carlton’) The New Purchase, I. 182. Potpie is the favourite, and woodsmen sharp set are AWFUL eaters.
1845. FORD, Handbook to Spain, i. 28. To what an AWFUL extent the Spanish peasant will consume garlic.
1859. J. LANG, Wanderings in India, 154. In the way of money-making … he is AWFULLY clever.
1834. SEBA SMITH, Jack Downing’s Letters, i. 29. [The practice of moving on the first day of May], with jest about half the New Yorkers about every year. It’s an AWFUL custom.
1870. M. BRIDGMAN, Robert Lynne, II. x. He writes an AWFUL scrawl.
1870. Figaro, 3 June. I like their face, though, to come here; it’s AWFULLY good.
1873. BROUGHTON, Nancy, I. 26. What an AWFUL duffer I am.
1877. Punch’s Pocket Book for 1878, 165. You should have come with us. It’s too AWFULLY nice, as I told you I thought it would be.
1878. W. BLACK, Green Pastures, ii. 15. You’ll be AWFULLY glad to get rid of me.
1878. M. E. BRADDON, The Cloven Foot, vii. ‘AWFULLY,’ was Miss Clare’s chief laudatory adjective [sic]; her superlative form of praise was ‘quite too AWFULLY,’ and when enthusiasm carried her beyond herself she called things ‘nice.’ ‘Quite too AWFULLY nice,’ was her maximum of rapture.
18[?]. PLANCHÉ, The Good Woman in the Wood.
| ‘A poor widow and her orphan chicks, | |
| Left without fixtures, in an AWFUL fix.’ |
1883. HAWLEY SMART, At Fault, III. v. ‘I’m AWFUL glad you two have made acquaintance.’
1883. J. BRINSLEY RICHARDS, Seven Years at Eton, ii. The boy … was told that what he had done was an ‘AWFUL chouse.’
1889. Illustrated Bits, 13 July. ‘The ham of the sandwich was AWFULLY tough.’
1898. BOLDREWOOD, Robbery under Arms, xxiv. He was AWFUL shook on Madg; but she wouldn’t look at him.
1889. Answers, 23 Feb., 205. 3. He’s AWFULLY bad form—a regular cad, you know.
