Much used by common people in the sense of very: like the word marvellous in the English Psalter. “Monstrous desperate” occurs in ‘All’s Well that ends Well’; and “Devilish smart” in Congreve’s ‘Old Bachelor’ (Kington Oliphant).
1799. Everybody must have noticed [the use of such words] in the familiar phrases of common language; when some damned honest fellow swears that the Madeira is devilish good, or the girl monstrous pretty; or when a young lady admires a lap dog for being so vastly small, and declares him prodigious handsome.—The Aurora, Phila., July 4.
1803. [A person, who had been invited out, said] the dinner was desperate well cooked, the wine was terrible good, Mr. —— was dreadful polite, and his daughters were cruel pretty, and abominable fine.—Mass. Spy, Feb. 9.
1833. “Gentlemen, good evening,” said he, as he dismounted, “this has been a powerful hot day.”—James Hall, ‘The Harpe’s Head,’ p. 86 (Phila.).
1834. Left camp, and after proceeding about a mile, found our wounded cow, yet alive, and able to make fight; killed her and took the fleece. She was, to use a western expression, powerful fat. Plenty of meat packed now, every horse bearing a whole buffalo fleece: that is, all the meat on the outside of the backbone, hump ribs and side ribs.—Albert Pike, ‘Sketches,’ &c. p. 70 (Boston).
1835. My horse came crowding near me for protection, for he was terribly frightened. I drove him off, but he returned, and drew nearer and nearer, and stood looking at me and at the fire, and dozing, and nodding, and tottering on his fore feet, for he was powerful tired.—W. Irving, ‘A Tour of the Prairies,’ ch. xiii. (N.E.D.)
1869. Our men has mostly gone across to Californy to see what’s the chances for fodder. Folks tells us it’s powerful dry over there.—J. Ross Browne, ‘Adventures in the Apache Country,’ p. 461.
