Green’s Dictionary of Slang

extremely, very, often in comb. roaring drunk.

1680		‘Satire on the Court Ladies’ in Wilson Court Satires of the Restoration (1976) 37: I blush to think one impious day has seen / Three duchesses roaring drunk on Richmond Green.
1761		Oxford Jrnl 5 Sept. 4/1: The night he committed this barbarous Act, it seems he came home roaring drunk.
1762		G. Colman Musical Lady II iii: All the servants shall go roaring drunk to bed.
1785		‘Peter Pindar’ ‘The Lousiad’ Works (1794) I 287: The Mob, with brandy, ale and gin, Got roaring drunk.
1822		‘A. Burton’ My Cousin in the Army 87: All roaring drunk.
1834		Marryat Peter Simple (1911) 219: Just at that time came down the sergeant of marines with three of our men whom he had picked up, roaring drunk.
1843		Cork Examiner 2 Oct. 2/5: The worthy was roaring drunk and brandished a drawn sword.
1853		Kendal Mercury 23 July 8/1: This plan would [...] prevent the collecting of large masses of voters in public houses and the bringing them to the poll roaring drunk.
1862		Leeds Intelligencer 20 Dec. 3/4: An old woman, roaring drunk, smashing the crockery and alarming the neighbours.
1871		C.G. Leland ‘Breitmann at a Picnic’ Hans Breitmann in Europe 283: De Dootch vas all gone roarin mad, / Und trinked mit Spraker all dey had.
1872		‘Mark Twain’ Roughing It 193: Seedy owners who could not get trusted for a drink [...] yesterday were roaring drunk on champagne to-day.
1876		‘The Days of ’49’ in Lingenfelter et al. Songs of the Amer. West (1968) 559: One night he fell in a prospect hole – / ’Twas a roaring bad design.
1880		Manchester Courier 2 Oct. 8/5: He had seen between 20 and 30 fishermen roaring drunk on board a Dutch cooper.
1894		Leeds Times 24 Feb. 7/7: I once saw five blind beggars in company, and roaring drunk on whisky toddy.
1899		H.E. Hamblen Yarns of Bucko Mate 46: I’ll be roarin’ drunk w’en these raynecks is a haulin’ the ol’ hooker through the docks termorrer.
1906		Western Times (Devon) 20 July 9/6: When a witness asked him why he took it [i.e. rat poison], he replied, ‘I was roaring drunk’.
1919		Aberdeen Jrnl 20 May 4/2: Stating his view as a medical man [...] it did no harm, to get ‘roaring drunk’ once a month.
1922		‘J.H. Ross’ Mint (1955) 65: Rumour makes him roaring drunk last year at Hendon.
1927		(con. 1917) J. Stevens Mattock 35: He got rip-roaring drunk at one of the Swamp Creek dances.
1936		Dundee Courier 18 Dec. 3/3: Maxwell was roaring drunk at the time.
1944		Dundee Courier 11 Sept. 3/2: German officers went out one night and came back roaring drunk. They went into all the rooms and smashed everything.
1954		W. London Obs. 19 Feb. 6/4: He gets roaring drunk in a native ‘toddy’ house.
a.1968		‘The Days of Forty-Nine’ G. Logsdon Whorehouse Bells Were Ringing (1995) 180: One night he fell in a prospect hole, / ’Twas a roaring bad design.
1978		R. Caron Go-Boy! 42: Nor did it take for them to get roaring drunk in the kitchen dormitory.
1979		D. Maitland Breaking Out 61: He had also got himself roaring drunk in the cocktail bar.
1985		R.G. Barrett You Wouldn’t Be Dead for Quids (1989) 209: The first six schooners didn’t even touch the sides of their throats. When Les got home [...] he was roaring.
2022		G.M. Graff Watergate 238: Magruder got roaring drunk at Billy Martin’s tavern.