Green’s Dictionary of Slang

very, very much, exceedingly, damnably; also as adj.

1771		Trial of Atticus 26: He is a nation bawdy creature to talk.
1785, 1788, 1796		Grose Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Nation, [...] a vulgar term used in Kent, Sussex, and the adjacent countries, for very.
1805		J. Reynolds Blind Bargain IV i: Dang it – thee be’st nation bad company.
1815		D. Humphreys Yankey in England 19: You were a nation deal wiser than brother Jonathan.
1824		R.B. Peake Americans Abroad I iii: I saw a nation nice place below for the black gentleman to sleep in – the water trough.
1825		‘Jerry Blossom’ in Universal Songster I 21/1: ’Twere a gentleman’s hand that were drest nation fine / [...] / A lass ga ma a nation hard bat e the chops.
1833		N.Y. Mirror 2 Nov. 143/3: Verily, the editor of the Commercial was right, when he said, ‘New-York would be a nation fine place, if they ever get it done!’.
1833		‘Wednesbury Cocking’ in Out-and-Outer in Spedding & Watt (eds) Bawdy Songbooks (2011) IV 133: The colliers were nationly vex’d.
1833		‘Polly Cox’ in Corinthian in Spedding & Watt (eds) Bawdy Songbooks (2011) IV 50: The Dustman he felt nation sad, / ’Cause he had got such a woppingn.
1843		T. Haliburton Sam Slick in England I 244: I am ’nation glad to see you.
1857		T.H. Gladstone Englishman in Kansas 56: Hangin’s a ’nation sight too good for him, the mean cuss. He ought to have a shot through his head right away – that’s how I’d sarve him.
1864		‘Edmund Kirke’ Down in Tennessee 186: We shall be nation dry ’fore winter’s over.
1877		‘Poor Jerry Blossom’ in Laughing Songster 23: I felt something warm sliding into my fob; / ’Twere a gentleman’s hand that were drest nation fine.
1884		(con. c.1840) ‘Mark Twain’ Huckleberry Finn 326: We smouched the grindstone, and set out to roll her home, but it was a most nation tough job.
1939		H.E. Bates My Uncle Silas 81: Stop him! Every ’nation time I try to git out o’ this trap he moves on.