Green’s Dictionary of Slang

a big success.

1852		Cork Examiner 5 July 2/5: The [London] Times has a regular ‘crow’ over this abominable outrafe [...] The Irish, we are told, were ‘thoroughly thrashed’.
1860		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc. (2nd edn).
1937–84		Partridge DSUE (1984) 969/2: [...] regular cross. A great success: proletarian:—1923 (Manchon). Cf. crow n.,1, unexpected luck [From ca. 1860].

(US) a thoroughly good person; in the speaker’s opinion their peer, intellectually, in sense of humour, opinions, politics etc, also used adjectivally as in 1919 cit.; used of a woman as in 1929 cit.

[1822		Tom And Jerry; Musical Extravaganza I iii: My Dear Kate [...] My cousin Jerry Hawthorn, to whom his father has given me leave to visit London under my direction, to be put in training for a regular. (Oh yes! a regular fellow will he be under your instructions)].
1860		Belfast Morn. News 1 Oct. 4/6: Wilomot says [the Prince] is a ‘regular nice fellow’.
1870		London & Provincial Entr’acte 22 Nov. 8/1: [song title] I’m a Regular Fellow for Fun.
1901		Independent (Honolulu) 4 Nov. 1/3: ‘Why, this is a Ringer for you,’ said the Regular Fellow.
1911		B. Fisher Mutt & Jeff 18 Jan. [synd. strip] I will do it myself. I’ll show you what a regular guy can do.
1911		T.A. Dorgan in Zwilling TAD Lex. (1993) 69: This chicken of mine ain’t like the rest of them. She’s a regular feller.
1912		Day Book (Chicago) 7 Feb. 20/2: His folks wuzn’t ladies and gents, dey was regular folks.
1913		T.A. Dorgan Indoor Sports 30 Oct. [synd. cartoon] He says his girl is one in a 1000 — she ain’t like the rest. She’s a regular dame.
1917		Day Book (Chicago) 17 Jan. 3: Don’t be a mollycoddle. be a regular fellow.
1919		Tombstone Epitaph (AZ) 20 Apr. 4/2: Backward peoples are getting the idea into their heads that they’re regular folks.
1922		S. Lewis Babbitt (1974) 119: We’ve assimilated the foreigners [...] learned ’em the principles of Americanism and turned ’em into regular folks. [Ibid.] 148: It’s the appreciation of the Regular Guy.
1927		‘J.M. Hall’ Anecdota Americana I 121: ‘I’m a regular feller,’ said the girl, ‘and I’d walk seven miles any time to save a friend of mine from a clap.’.
1932		(con. 1910s) J.T. Farrell Young Lonigan in Studs Lonigan (1936) 79: I can understand how you feel about bein’ a regular guy, and bein’ with the bunch.
1932		L.E. Lawes Twenty Thousand Years in Sing Sing 145: I next visited the ‘Sky Pilot.’ Say, Ben, he’s a regular fellow.
1936		J.T. Farrell World I Never Made 217: Thanks! You’re a regular kid, O’Neill.
1939		W. Attaway Let Me Breathe Thunder (1940) 224: We got so we liked each other just like regular folks.
1940		O. Strange Sudden Takes the Trail 201: Pity yu gota herd with the jackals – yu might ‘a’ been a reg’lar fella.
1949		N. Algren Man with the Golden Arm 51: Tell him Shooie’s a regular guy!
1958		Southern & Hoffenberg Candy (1970) 13: In addition to being so highly intellectual and abstract, the professor was a regular guy, and not just a simple armchair crackpot.
1969		S. Greenlee Spook who Sat by the Door (1972) 37: Although the Senator did not feel himself as regular guy, he would have been pleased at the accolade.
1976		Cab Calloway Of Minnie the Moocher and Me 130: You all are just regular guys / You cant blame me for being chuffed about it, as they say!
1986		Eble Campus Sl. Nov. 4: guy – someone who goes along with the crowd: Come on, be a guy.
1986		H. Selby Jr Song of the Silent Snow (1988) 19: Hes really a very nice guy, you know. I mean a regular guy.
1995		J. Stahl Permanent Midnight 175: The first order of business was coming off as a ‘Regular Guy’ [...] the kind of fellow you want on staff.
2000		Guardian G2 21 Jan. 2: I’m really, truly a regular guy.

(Can.) a habitual drunkard.

1984

Partridge DSUE (8th edn) 596/2: [...] since ca. 1925.

an incorrigible rogue, ‘one who is past praying for’ (Ware); by no means invariably derog. but often implying a sneaking admiration.

1853		Dickens Bleak House (1991) 223: ‘O not as bad as me,’ says Jo. ‘I’m a reg’lar one, I am!’.
1909		J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era 208/1: Regular oner (Peoples’). Individual past praying for — a scapegrace. Sometimes used in satirical praise.

1. as a matter of course.

2012

J. Díaz This Is How You Lose Her 105: Dude had thrown away better bitches than Pura on the regular.

2. (US black) regularly.

2022

J. Hannaham Didn’t Nobody Give a Shit 2394: Frona been all good [...] callin on the regular.