Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a general intensifier, terrific, awful.

1898		Boy’s Own Paper 1 Oct. 8: It’s a frantic nuisance.
1908		Punch 26 Feb. 152/2: I’ve bought a ghastly heap of poplin [...] and a frantic lot of Limerick lace.
1951		A. Buckeridge Jennings Follows a Clue (1967) 68: Remember what a frantic bish we made last time.
1962		P. Crump Burn, Killer, Burn! 300: Now you’ve done it! you frantic bastard!

2. exciting, amusing, enjoyable.

1922		Colton & Randolph Rain I 58: griggs: Look—Batesy’s one jump ahead of a fit. hodgson: One frantic kangaroo!
1946		Rosenthal & Zachary Jazzways 51: Literally, it [i.e. a ‘jump tune’] jumps, it’s exciting or frantic, as the fan would describe it.
1958		Kerouac Dharma Bums 194: You never saw a more frantic dancer.
1965		(con. 1940s) Malcolm X Autobiog. (1968) 140: Shorty would take me to groovy, frantic scenes in different chicks’ and cats’ pads.

3. of people or things, good looking, fashionable.

1941		D. Burley N.Y. Amsterdam News 7 June. 13: I’m gonna trilly long in a few tickers to Abie and ler him lay one of them frantic togas on my mellow brown frame.
1951		Kerouac On the Road (The Orig. Scroll) (2007) 205: That cat is plumb frantic!
1954		Mad mag. June 20: It was the most; real nervous, real frantic, real cool.
1964		B. Jackson Get Your Ass in the Water (1974) 51: I just had to get a look at that frantic whore. / Looked at her pussy, said it was good enough to eat, / she said, ‘You better do it, daddy, or you’ll never see the streets.’.
1974		Eddie ‘Cleanhead’ Vinson ‘Person to Person’ 🎵 Bring your big, fine, foxy, frantic [...] feelin’ self on home.