roaring adj.
1. boisterous, exuberant; a general positive intensifier.
![[UK]](/static/img/flags/uk.png "United Kingdom") | Tragical Hist. of Dr. Faustus I i: Keep out, for I am about a roaring piece of work. | |
| Roaring Girle V i: We are boiled, pox on her! see, Moll, the roaring drab! | |
| Counter-Rat E4: [A Roaring Rat] His tusks stiff-starch’d like a braue Mounser, / Of Turnebull-Puncks a staring Trouncer. | |
| Damoiselle I ii: He was the President of the Can-quarrelling Fraternity, / Now call’d the Roaring brotherhood. | |
| Wit’s Recreations no. 80 C5: He’l swill it with the roaring Dutch. | |
| Wit Revived 37: Q. Which may be said to be the roaring’st place about London? A. The Tower. | |
| Virgil Travestie (1765) Bk I 10: A Crew of drunken roaring Ruffins. | |
| ‘Colin’ in Court Satires of the Restoration (1976) 26: The roaring roist’rers of Whitehall. | |
 | Works n.p.: Depriver of those solid joys, Which sack creates; author of noise Among the roaring punks and dammy-boys [F&H]. | |
| ‘In Praise of Chocolate’ in Merry Drollery Compleat (1875) 51: The roaring Crew of gallant ones, / Whose marrow rots within their bones. | |
| Amusements Serious and Comical in Works (1744) III 99: They are a drunken, roaring, nonsensical generation. | |
| Lives of Most Noted Highway-men, etc. I 19: He [...] set Spurs to his Horse, to make what haste he could to his roaring Companions. | |
| ‘The New Highland Laddy’ Ally Croaker’s Garland 4: He’s a ranting roaring Lad. | |
| Mayor of Garrat in Works (1799) I 171: If you would but come [...] to our club, at the Nag’s-head in the Poultry, you would meet some roaring, rare boys. | |
| Burlesque Homer (3rd edn) argument: This rais’d a squabble ’twixt Atrides, / And that same roaring blade Pelides. | |
| Rattlin’ Roarin’ Willie in Works (1842) 153: Rattlin’, roarin’ Willie, Ye’re welcome hame to me! | |
| Burlesque Homer (4th edn) I 59: Her dear ranting roaring son. | |
| Sporting Mag. Jan. XVII 170/1: Dalleway, Clarke, and King, three roaring sons of Bacchus, were indicted for an assault. | |
| Black-Ey’d Susan II i: Had it not been for the sudden reinforcement, Hatchet, Raker, and all the jolly boys, would have been taken; it would have spoilt the roaring trade of Deal. | |
![[Ire]](/static/img/flags/ire.png "Ireland") | Pilot (Dublin) 6 Jan. 3/2: One Whig less — yes, even one roaring ruffian less, against liberty and Ireland. | |
| Pickwick Papers (1999) 151: I dined alone with some fine roaring fellow. | |
![[US]](/static/img/flags/us.png "United States") | Nick of the Woods II i: Stolen by that etarnal roaring Ralph Stackpole. | |
| Twice Round the Clock 42: Roaring blades, addicted to asserting in chorus that they would not go home till morning. | |
| Shoreditch Obs. 24 Aug. 3/4: We defy him to combat, the enormous roaring ruffian! | |
| Life and Adventures of a Cheap Jack 192: It was very often a roaring lark to see Tommy fighting a Romanee. | |
| Chronicles of Newgate 206: Every roaring blade disdained all heeltaps. | |
| St Paul Dly Globe (MN) 20 Jan. 6/1: Duluth has received a black eye and has hurt her reputation to no slight extent among the devotees of the roarin’ game. | |
![[NZ]](/static/img/flags/nz.png "New Zealand") | Truth (Wellington) 6 Apr. 6/4: The smellsome Chow who does a roaring business in cabbagee. | |
![[Aus]](/static/img/flags/aus.png "Australia") | ‘Cow’ in Backblock Ballads 36: Once I wus a sinful spender. Used ter go a roarin’ bender. | |
| Hendon & Finchley Times 15 Sept. 6/6: This scowling, roaring ruffian is defeated. | |
| Sydney Morn. Herald 12 Feb. 14/2: Hill End had already begun to decline, and the roaring days of Tambaroora were long before. | |
| Death of a Citizen 111: It seemed a pity to come so close to the old roaring cattle towns [...] without stopping to see what they looked like. | |
| et al. CUSS 185: Roaring drunk A drinking party. | |
| Guardian Rev. 17 July 7: The Boilerhouse’s roaring success [...] led to the building of the Design Museum. |
2. a general intensifier with negative undertones, extreme, uncompromising.
| letter in Saxon Sel. Letters (1983) 29 July 25: I have hired the ‘Bell Ringers’ at a roaring price. | |
| My Brilliant Career 163: He has a roaring derry on disobedience. | |
| Traveller’s Samples 66: We ranged from a clerical student with scruples to a roaring atheist. | |
| London Embassy 43: He was a roaring snob. |
In compounds
see separate entries.
(Aus.) an erection, esp. one that feels very demanding.
| DSUE (8th edn) 981/1: late C.19–20. |
of a business, being an incredible success, making lots of money.
| Dict. of Modern Sl. etc. (2nd edn) 201: ROARING TRADE, a very successful business. | |
| Story of a Lancashire Thief 12: The tile-maker did a roaring trade. | |
| Exeter & Plymouth Gaz. 29 Nov. 2/4: New Zealand is doing a ‘roaring trade’ in timber. | |
![[Scot]](/static/img/flags/sco.png "Scotland") | Dundee Courier 13 Apr. 4/7: Sunday Drinking in Dundee. A Roaring Shebeen Trade. | |
| Leicester Chron. 31 Aug. 8/7: [headline] A Bookmaker’s ‘oaring Trade’. | |
| Sporting Times 18 Mar. 10/1: A ‘medium’ who did a ‘roaring trade,’ had a nasty experience. | |
| Dundee Courier 24 July 6/1: [headline] Pleasure Steamers Do A Roaring Trade. | |
| Dundee Courier 20 Dec. 9/5: An excellent display of goods was on view, and a roaring trade was done. | |
| Derby Dly Teleg. 2 July 13/5: [headline] ‘Tote’ Does a Roaring Trade. | |
| Post (Lanarks) 6 Mar. 9/1: [headline] New Kind of Shop Does a Roaring Trade. | |
| Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit 136: The place was doing a roaring trade. | |
| Guardian 26 Feb. 🌐 The pub is now doing a roaring trade after being reopened under new management last April. |