Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(US) a prophet of doom; thus calamity howl n., a statement of extreme pessimism; calamity-howling n., doom-mongering.

1888		Peterson’s Mag. 92 191: Mr. Whitney Is not a ‘calamity howler,’ but Is a Wall street lawyer, who held the position of assistant attorney general of the United States.
1891		Oct. 1 Daily Calamity Howler (Winfield, KS) [newspaper title].
1892		Congressional Record 17 Mar. 2160/2: [They] were of the stripe of calamity-shouters whose occupation is gone unless they can prove that calamity stalks abroad [DA].
1893		Hull Dly Mail 13 July 3/4: I am not given to anticipating trouble [...] I am no calamity howler.
1897		Nebraska State Journal 17 Sept. 🌐 The sentiment seemed to be that since prosperity is here the calamity howl should cease.
1899		Coconino Sun (Flagstaff, AZ) 29 Apr. 11/1: It is a mistake to say that the calalmity howlers have nothing to howl about.
1902		Indep. (Honolulu) 26 Nov. 2/3: It is fortunate, to a certain degree, that calamity howlers did not gain the upper hand.
1912		Commoner (Lincoln, NE) 31 May 1/3: Representatives of special interests have been inthe habit of calling those who oppose their pet plans ‘calamity howlers‘.
1919		L. Staley letter 6 Mar. at www.u.arizona.edu 🌐 Looks like we were the ‘goats’ in a calamity howl. If that is necessary, alright, but there are so many divisions that have gone through more than we have.
1925		S. Anderson Poor White (1971) 117: ‘Hell,’ he exclaimed, ‘why listen to a lot of damned old calamity howlers? It‘s the town‘s duty to get out and plug for that machine.’.
1937		Terril Record (IA) 11 Nov. 2/2: The calamity howlers have predicted many dire reckonings for us all.
1948		Time 5 Apr. 94/2: After months of financial calamity-howling, the seven major studios last week found that in 1947 [...] they had netted (after taxes) about $96,000,000 [DA].

(US) a nagging woman, a pessimist, a worrier.

1909		Railway Carmen’s Jrnl 14 144: I’m not a Calamity Jane, but when everything is so plain, union men should be prepared.
1917		Wash. Times (DC) 25 June 10/2: [cartoon character, a waitress] Calamity Jane: I know I won’t have soup enough to go round.
1931		Z. Grey Sunset Pass 12: ‘An’ now brace yourself for a shock, True.’ ‘Fire away, you old Calamity Jane.’.
1941		Lardner & Kanin Woman of the Year [film script] He calls you the ‘Calamity Jane of the fast international set.’ [HDAS].
1968–70		in DARE.

(US) illicitly distilled ‘rotgut’ whiskey.

1882

Nat. Police Gaz. (NY) 11 Feb. 7/1: [S]he [i.e. ‘Calamity Jane’] became so notorious for drinking even the worst kind of bottled hotness that now the popular mode of designating any particularly villainous decoction in the hills is to term it ‘Calamity whisky’.