Green’s Dictionary of Slang

a corruption of SE obstreperous; thus adv. obstroperously.

1748		Smollett Roderick Random (1979) 36: The window was shut when we went to bed, I’ll be hanged, said she, if Sawney Waddle the pedlar has not got up in a dream and done it, for I heard him very obstropolous in his sleep.
1762		Smollett Sir Launcelot Greaves II 80: Good Iack! a’has been mortally obstropolous, and out of his senses all this blessed day.
1773		O. Goldsmith She Stoops to Conquer Act III: I’m sure you did not treat Miss Hardcastle, that was here a while ago, in this obstropulous manner.
1785		M. Lonsdale Spanish Rivals II i: I wish you wud keep my measter that way, he looks so obstrop’lous.
c.1786		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue ms. additions n.p.: Obstropulous, Corruption of Obstreperous.
1788		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue (2nd edn) n.p.: Obstropulous. Vulgar misnomer of obstreperous: as, I was going my rounds, and found this here gemman very obstropulous, whereof I comprehended him as an auspicious parson.
1793		J. O’Keeffe London Hermit (1794) 70: The defender is obstropolos, and has lick’d I and John Grum.
1800		Sporting Mag. Apr. XVI 26/1: The coachmen and chairmen being a little obstropolos, was obliged to tip them a little patter.
1812		J. Bell Jr. (ed.) Rhymes of Northern Bards 46: Lobstrop’lus fellows, we kick’d them-o.
1812		Spirit of Irish Wit 142: He was very obstropolous and had struck him a violent blow.
1821		Leeds Intelligencer 20 Aug. 3/2: He kept drinking; he broke open the kitchen windows, and was very obstropolous.
1824		J. Wight Mornings in Bow St. 155: They were forthwith conveyed to the watch-house, and there they conducted themselves so ‘obstropolously’ that the constable of the night found it necessary to have them put down below.
1826		Morn. Post (London) 25 Jan. 2/5: Immediate incarceration in the black hole was the lot of the hapless and still ‘obstropolous’ Mr M’Gillies.
1830		Berks Chron. 4 Dec. 4/5: He behaved mighty obstropolous and talked about his rights being violated.
1832		Egan Bk of Sports 19: What could a simple Barber do against an obstropolis horse.
1836		T. Haliburton Clockmaker I 217: He got obstropolous.
1842		Flash 31 July n.p.: The watchmen [...] convyed one of the most obstropolous to the ‘vatch ’us’.
1842		Leicester Chron. 15 Oct. 4/1: My father did nothing for me, except to help my mother to lick me when I was obstropolous.
1847–81		Halliwell Dict. Archaic and Provincial Words II 585/2: obstropolous. Obstreperous. A very common vulgarism.
1848		A.W. Read ‘Nantucketisms of 1848’ AS 42/1: obstriperous. Bad, obstinate.
1849		A. Harris Emigrant Family I 195: If she turns out too jolly, he can clap her into the cells for a night. [...] just the place for a little lady like her, when she gets too obscrophulous.
1852		Bell’s Life in Sydney 3 July 3/3: A She-male Servant. - A tall strong-built woman, named Dolly Newman, was summoned by Mr James Cooper, for being obstropolous in his house.
1865		Bury & Norwich Post 11 Apr. 5/6: The donkey and a sow were kept together, and the sow turned up [...] ‘obstropolous’ and let the donkey out.
1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.
1870		Sumter Watchman (Sumterville, SC) 7 Sept. 1/6: I can give you an instance how I used to manage my obstrolpous gents.
1879		G.R. Sims Dagonet Ballads 101: Their minds is so awful perwerted—they’re such an obstropolous pack!
1882		County Paper (Oregon, MO) 15 Sept. 2/6: Exclamations as by gum [...] lack-a-daisy. Such words as obstropolous for obstreperous. Such terms of abuse as dunderhead and ninnyhammer.
1890		DN I 68: Obstroperous [...] for obstreperous.
1891		Ft Worth Gaz. (TX) 4 June 11/4: He does, occasionally [...] get a little ‘obstropolous’.
1900		Derbys. Times 5 Dec. 3/7: He said Harvey was ‘obstropolous’ and he was having a bit of fun to himself like (Laughter).
1903		N.Y. Tribune 20 Nov. 11/3: There’s some colleens is mighty obstropolous.
1914		Bulletin (Sydney) 6 Aug. 52/4: [Dan is] the on’y man fer miles ownin’ wan obstropulous bulldog iv the weight ’n’ timperamint iv the wan mentioned.