Green’s Dictionary of Slang

all-purpose adj., orig. implying distaste but more usu. with no moral implication.

1825		H. Wilson Memoirs I 132: Good heavens! exclaimed I, did you have that frightful creature, Hart Davis? Never, said Amy.
1909		Wodehouse Mike [ebook] ‘Are those frightful boxes of mine in all right?’ ‘Yes, sir.’ ‘Because, you know, there’ll be a frightful row if any of them get lost’.