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单词 good
释义

goodadj.n.adv.int.

Brit. /ɡʊd/, U.S. /ɡʊd/
Forms: Old English go (transmission error), Old English gode- (in derivatives, rare), Old English got (probably transmission error), Old English–early Middle English godd- (inflected form), Old English–early Middle English goð (transmission error), Old English–1600s god, Old English– good, late Old English gooðra (genitive plural, transmission error), late Old English–1500s gode, early Middle English gedes (genitive singular masculine, transmission error), early Middle English ghod, early Middle English ȝod, early Middle English gohid (south-west midlands), Middle English godd, Middle English godde, Middle English goed, Middle English goid, Middle English goud, Middle English goude, Middle English gowd, Middle English gowde, Middle English goyd, Middle English goyde, Middle English gudde, Middle English gude, Middle English guod, Middle English guode, Middle English guyd, Middle English yode (south-west midlands), Middle English–1500s goede, Middle English–1500s gud, Middle English–1600s goodde, Middle English–1600s goode, 1500s gewd, 1500s govde, 1500s gudd, 1800s– goo' (regional and nonstandard); English regional 1700s– gud (northern), 1700s– gude (south-western and northern), 1800s– gooid (Yorkshire), 1800s– guid (Cumberland); Scottish pre-1700 god, pre-1700 gode, pre-1700 goid, pre-1700 goud, pre-1700 gouid, pre-1700 gowd, pre-1700 gowdd- (inflected form), pre-1700 gowid, pre-1700 gudde, pre-1700 guidd- (inflected form), pre-1700 guyd, pre-1700 guydd- (inflected form), pre-1700 guyde, pre-1700 guyed, pre-1700 gvd, pre-1700 gvid, pre-1700 gwd, pre-1700 gwdd- (inflected form), pre-1700 gwde, pre-1700 gwid, pre-1700 gwidd- (inflected form), pre-1700 gwide, pre-1700 gwyd, pre-1700 gwyde, pre-1700 1700s goode, pre-1700 1700s–1800s guide, pre-1700 1700s– good, pre-1700 1700s– gude, pre-1700 1700s– guid, pre-1700 1800s– gud, pre-1700 1900s– gued, 1700s gied (Perthshire), 1700s–1800s gueed (north-eastern), 1800s gede (Angus), 1800s guede (north-eastern), 1800s gueede (north-eastern), 1800s gweid, 1800s– geed (northern), 1800s– geud (Orkney), 1800s– gid, 1800s– göd (Shetland), 1800s– gweed (north-eastern), 1900s– gjöd (Shetland), 1900s– göid (Shetland), 1900s– güd (Shetland); also Irish English 1800s gayde (Wexford), 1800s gooude (Wexford), 1800s– gude (now northern), 1800s– guid, 1900s– geed (northern), 1900s– gid (northern), 1900s– gwid (northern).
Origin: A word inherited from Germanic.
Etymology: Cognate with Old Frisian gōd (West Frisian goed ), Old Saxon gōd (Middle Low German gōt , gūt ), Old Dutch guot , guod (Middle Dutch goet , Dutch goed ), Old High German guot (Middle High German guot , German gut ), Old Icelandic góðr , Norn (Orkney, inflected form) go- , (Shetland, inflected form) goug(h)- , gu- , Old Swedish goþer (Swedish god ), Old Danish goth (Danish god ), Gothic gōþs (genitive gōdis ), probably < an ablaut variant (ō -grade) of the base seen also in gather v., with an original sense ‘fitting’, ‘suitable’; compare further Lithuanian (archaic and regional) guodas, Latvian gods, both in sense ‘honour’.Corresponding adverb. Already in Old English, the most commonly used corresponding adverb is wel well adv.; comparison with other Germanic languages suggests that this correspondence is inherited. Corresponding comparative and superlative forms. The Germanic base of good adj. apparently had no regular comparative or superlative; these were supplied by formations from the common base of better adj. and best adj. A similar pattern of suppletive gradation is found for adjectives of comparable meaning in other Indo-European languages, e.g. in classical Latin (compare bonus good (see bonus n.), melior better (see meliorate v.), optimus best (see optimism n.)). In Old English and early Middle English, beside the suppletive forms (comparative) betera better adj., (superlative) betst best adj., alternative suppletive forms are attested (especially in poetry) from a different Germanic base: (comparative) sēlra seler adj., (superlative) sēlost selest adj. The nonstandard comparative form gooder and superlative form goodest occasionally occur from early modern English onwards, often in jocular or playful language. Form history. In Old English the stems of gōd good adj. and god god n. were distinct only in the length of the vowel and could become homophonous in compounds, where gōd would be phonologically shortened (compare also discussion at gospel n.). In written texts, especially in religious contexts, the words are sometimes difficult to distinguish. For this reason, the spelling good for gōd , used to indicate vowel length, is found in some manuscripts with unusual frequency (diacritic marks are also sometimes employed to distinguish the two words). The similarity also occasionally becomes the subject of word play. See further discussion at god n. and int. The Old English stem form godd- arises by doubling of the stem-final consonant before r of the inflectional ending (e.g. in the genitive plural goddra ) and consequent shortening of the stem vowel, and is sometimes retained when an epenthetic vowel develops in such forms (goddera beside gōdera ). It is very occasionally found elsewhere, where it may be due to confusion with godd as a variant form of god god n. Use as noun. Use as a strong noun of neuter gender in Old English (see branches B. II. and B. III.) probably originally derives from use as noun of the neuter of the base of the adjective in Germanic; compare Old Frisian gōd (west Frisian goet a property, an estate, guod goods, wares, merchandise), Old Dutch guod possession, property (Middle Dutch goet possession, property, goods, that which is good, a good thing, Dutch goed (plural goederen )), Old Saxon gōd goods, possession, wealth, good, righteousness (Middle Low German gōt ), Old High German guot (Middle High German guot , German Gut (plural Güter ), chiefly in senses ‘property, a piece of property, belongings, means, stock, livestock, landholdings, estate, goods, wares, freight’, in Old High German also ‘goodness, justice, health, happiness, good fortune’). However, this use was clearly reinforced by use of the neuter of the adjective as a noun in Old English, with which compare also Old Icelandic gott , Swedish godt , Danish godt , all ‘that which is good, plenty’, and also ( < the genitive of this noun) Old Icelandic góðs , góz (indeclinable) goods, Swedish gods goods, property, belongings, chattels, freight, landholdings, estate, Danish gods property, belongings, goods, materials, freight, estate. The noun frequently renders classical Latin bonum , use as noun of neuter of bonus (see bonus n.), especially in religious and philosophical contexts (compare e.g. quots. OE2 at sense B. 4a(a), OE2 at sense B. 8c). Additionally, both strong and weak forms of the adjective (chiefly of masculine gender) are attested in Old English and early Middle English in use as a noun denoting persons (see branch B. I.). In branch B. III. pluralization in -s is regular (attested from early Middle English onwards); however, it is likely that a reflex of the Old English strong neuter plural forms gōd , gōdu survived into Middle English (as gōd , gōde ), but it is often difficult to distinguish these from forms of the singular (compare note at sense B. 9a(a)). Notes on specific senses. For an explanation of the use of the word in sense B. 3, i.e. substituted for god n., see discussion at that entry.
A. adj. Good is the most general and most frequently used adjective of commendation in English, and one of the most common non-possessive adjectives in all periods from Old English to the present day. Almost all uses convey the sense of being of a high (or at least satisfactory) quality, useful for some purpose (specified, implied, or generally understood), and worthy of approval.Distinctions of sense typically arise in either of two ways. (i) Because different weight is accorded to the above-mentioned general senses in particular contexts. This is exemplified by the senses describing a person's character or behaviour, where senses A. 14a, A. 15a, and A. 16a have a stronger element of high inherent quality, in contrast with the vaguer element of approval in sense A. 4; similarly, the element of approval is stronger in sense A. 16a than in the other senses in branch A. II. (ii) Because a very specific context makes the nature of the quality, purpose, or approval in question implicit in the use. This is exemplified by the specific applications of the very general sense A. 1 that are laid out in sense A. 2.
The general nature of these semantic parameters also contributes to the fact that the use of good is characterized to an unusually high degree by recurring syntactic patterns, common patterns of collocation, and established locutions. For example, predicative use, especially in the construction good for, characterizes the senses in branch A. IV. (the exception, sense A. 25, could arguably be placed in sense A. 2 in branch A. I.); while quots. 1936 at sense A. 14b and 1769 at sense A. 15b are probably more likely felt by users as uses of an established collocation good intentions in two different contexts than as two distinct senses of good applied separately to the noun intentions.
In Old English (as in Old Saxon and Old High German) the opposite of ‘good’ was regularly expressed by evil adj., but in Middle English this was supplemented by ill adj. and bad adj. The last is now the standard comparative term, the others being archaic or dated except for use of evil in contrast with sense A. 14.
I. As a general adjective of commendation, implying that the thing described is of high or satisfactory quality, suitable for some purpose, or worthy of approval.
1. Having in a large or adequate degree the qualities or properties desirable in something of the specified kind; of high or acceptable quality, standard, or level.
a. Of a thing (material or immaterial).
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OE Beowulf (2008) 1562 Geseah ða..ealdsweord eotenisc..; þæt [wæs] wæpna cyst..god ond geatolic, giganta geweorc.
OE Laws of Edgar (Nero E.i) iv. ii. §1. 210 Ic wille, þæt woruldgerihta mid Denum standan be swa godum lagum, swa hy betste geceosan mægen.
OE Old Eng. Hexateuch: Exod. (Claud.) xiv. 7 Farao..gegaderode six hundred godra crata, ðe man of feohtan mihte on ðam lande [L. sescentos currus electos].
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 13011 Arður..up ahof his gode brond.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 21281 Þar es god axultreis tua.
c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Merchant/Squire Link (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 36 I prey to god that it [sc. a tale] may plesen yow Thanne woot I wel that it is good ynow.
1484 W. Caxton tr. Subtyl Historyes & Fables Esope ii. f. cxxxv She..promysed to hym that she shold gyue to hym a ryght good dyner.
1546 J. Heywood Dialogue Prouerbes Eng. Tongue i. viii. sig. C Though it be a good hors That neuer stumbleth [etc.].
1554 Liber Cartarum Sancte Crucis (1840) 293 Certene maisteris of the samyn craft..hes diuisit..certane gwd statutis.
1698 J. Fryer New Acct. E.-India & Persia 6 A special good Anchor of 2400 weight.
1735 Visct. Bolingbroke Diss. upon Parties (ed. 2) 108 We call This a good Government, when..the whole Administration of publick Affairs is wisely pursued.
1783 Double Conspiracy ii. 21 I believe that's a good plan.
1790 W. Bligh Narr. Mutiny on Bounty 52 One half of us slept on shore by a good fire.
1861 M. Pattison in Westm. Rev. Apr. 404 A good history of our foreign policy from the earliest period would be very useful.
1886 Good Housek. 6 Feb. 211/1 A good knife is necessary to enable one to do the work with dexterity.
1889 Sat. Rev. 6 Apr. 415/1 The fight was a good fight, with many changes of fortune.
1908 Jrnl. U.S. Cavalry Assoc. Apr. 710 The thoroughbreds at this school are good, but not excellent from a point of view of conformation.
1922 H. Ford My Life & Work 3 Most of the present acute troubles of the world arise out of taking on new ideas without first carefully investigating to discover if they are good ideas.
1934 Beautycraft July 19/1 To acquire a brown, healthy skin..it must be anointed plentifully with one of the good Sun-tan oils now on the market.
1979 Pop. Mech. June 155/1 There are many good paints available, some of which contain special rust inhibitors.
2003 Daily Tel. 16 Apr. 26/5 A basic model..costs about £150, a really good one (5 megapixels) £400.
b. Of a substance.
(a) Of food or drink, or something used for this.Frequently overlapping with, or difficult to distinguish from, a number of more specific senses: see senses A. 2f, A. 2d, and A. 21a(a).
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the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > [adjective] > specifically of thing
goodeOE
selec1275
prettya1529
eOE (Kentish) Charter: Oswulf & Beornðryð to Christ Church, Canterbury (Sawyer 1188) in F. E. Harmer Sel. Eng. Hist. Docs. 9th & 10th Cent. (1914) 2 xxx ombra godes uuelesces aloð.
eOE Leechbk. (Royal) (1865) iii. xli. Gecnua þa wyrta ealle, awylle on godre buteran.
OE West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) vii. 17 Ælc god treow byrð gode wæstmas.
lOE Laws: Rectitudines (Corpus Cambr.) viii. 449 Anan esne gebyreð to metsunge xii pund godes cornes..& i god metecu.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 15408 Þin forrme win iss swiþe god Þin lattre win iss bettre.
c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) l. 14 (MED) Fil me a cuppe of ful god ale.
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 51 Huet we hedde guod wyn yesteneuen and guode metes.
c1450 Med. Recipes (BL Add. 33996) in F. Heinrich Mittelengl. Medizinbuch (1896) 69 Boyle hem wel in good mylke.
1539 R. Taverner tr. Erasmus Prouerbes sig. Fiiv Men woll seke oute good wyne, though there be no sygne..to directe..them.
1589 A. Barlowe in R. Hakluyt Principal Navigations 731 Fruites very excellent good.
a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) Epil. 5 To good wine they do vse good bushes. View more context for this quotation
1682 G. Wheler Journey into Greece i. 25 Here is very good Bread and Wine.
1723 J. Barker Patch-work Screen for Ladies 109 Next, another full Quart of good Beef Gravey.
1784 J. Filson Discov. Kentucke 23 The coffee-tree greatly resembles a black oak, grows large, and also bears a pod, in which is enclosed good coffee.
1837 Southern Lit. Messenger 3 86 I say, darkie, the old man keeps good liquor, and plenty of belly timber, don't he?
1890 Washington Post 13 July 9 One of the latest combinations is a whisky fizz... It is not to be recommended, however. It spoils good seltzer, and doesn't improve the whisky.
1919 T. S. Eliot Let. ?25 Aug. (1988) I. 327 Melons, ceps, truffles, eggs, good wine and good cheese and cheerful people.
1969 V. Canning Queen's Pawn iii. 41 Hot morning. Care for a jar? They keep good beer.
1998 N. Lawson How to Eat (1999) 78 Bread..freezes well, and I keep good bread in loaves and plastic white bread in pairs of slices.
(b) gen.
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eOE Bald's Leechbk. (Royal) (1865) ii. xxxvii. 244 Mettas him beoð nytte þa þe god blod [L. sanguinem bonum] wyrceað swa swa sint scilfixas.
eOE Leechbk. (Royal) (1865) iii. xxxi. 326 Awring [the mixture] þurh claþ, do þonne godne sciptaran to & hrer oþ þæt hit col sie.
a1400 Twelve Profits of Tribulation (Royal) in C. Horstmann Yorkshire Writers (1896) II. 49 (MED) A mon shuld let oute ille blode to clensyng of þo body, & withhold gode blode to þo norisshing of þo body.
1448 in R. Willis & J. W. Clark Archit. Hist. Univ. Cambr. (1886) I. 367 (MED) The same walles to be filled with the same ston and..with good morter to be made as hit is before rehersed.
1545 R. Ascham Toxophilus ii. f. 6v Trewlye I suppose that nether ye bowe can be to good and chefe woode, nor yet to wel seasoned or truly made.
1583 L. Mascall tr. Profitable Bk. Spottes & Staines 20 Take of good wood, and breake the rootes off.
1599 H. Buttes Dyets Dry Dinner sig. H8v Veale..Nourisheth excellently: makes verie good blood.
1638 A. Cowley Loves Riddle iii. sig. Dv But I have got a better present now, My owne ring made of good Ebony.
1714 M. Kettilby Coll. above 300 Receipts 91 Put a pint of good Ale-yeast, to half a pint of Sack, and let it rise before the Fire.
1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 293 They had made about a Dozen large Planks of good Oak, near 2 Foot broad.
1789 Trans. Soc. Arts (ed. 2) 1 165 A field of good hazle loam.
1842 Farmers' Reg. 31 May 234/1 The timber..makes tolerable fence rails, and when dry pretty good fire wood.
1869 R. F. Burton Explor. Highlands Brazil I. 76 The large-seeded Pat́ri [supplies] good charcoal.
1920 P. J. Fryer Insect Pests & Fungus Dis. Fruit & Hops xxvi. 462 In such cases it is preferable to use first a softener consisting of a cheap soapy material, so as not to waste good soap.
1948 G. Greene Heart of Matter ii. ii. i. 181 The Downhamian luckily was well printed and on good paper.
1991 Constr. Weekly 18 Sept. 8/2 In the past people haven't perceived a need to get good sand as bedding sand.
c. Of something abstract, esp. an action or activity.
ΚΠ
eOE Bald's Leechbk. (Royal) (1865) ii. xxvii. 220 Sio [wamb] hæfð gode girnesse metes, hio næfð gode meltunge.
OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 2nd Ser. (Cambr. Gg.3.28) xxix. 257 Swiðe god ðenung is and herigendlic, þæt gehwa Godes ðearfum ðenige.
?a1160 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1140 Alle diden him manred & suoren þe pais to halden, & hit ward sone suythe god pais..& al folc him luuede, for he dide god iustise & makede pais.
c1275 (?c1250) Owl & Nightingale (Calig.) (1935) l. 605 (MED) Mine wike boþ wel gode.
c1300 All Souls (Laud) l. 312 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 429 Heouene openede..to bi-tokni þat he wolde al-so aȝen ech þat þolede guod Martyrdom.
?a1425 (c1400) Mandeville's Trav. (Titus C.xvi) (1919) 152 (MED) Euery man ȝeueth so gode..attendance to his seruyse.
1522 tr. W. Lily Tryumphe Charles sig. a.viv The lady Minerua to florisshe in your cite That is to say playnly..Good lernyng and eke doctrine.
1583 C. Hollyband Campo di Fior 225 Thou wilt never make good verse.
1604 E. Grimeston tr. J. de Acosta Nat. & Morall Hist. Indies i. viii. 25 S. Augustine hath confessed this to bee conformable to good Philosophie.
1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica iv. vii. 197 We made triall in Scales of good exactnesse. View more context for this quotation
1649 Humble Remonstr. & Resolves Col. Overtons Regiment 5 The good guidance or government of the Army.
1779 T. Forrest Voy. New Guinea 311 Many bays..affording good anchorage.
1793 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. (ed. 12) 70 There are decisions drawn from established principles and maxims, which are good law.
1818 Monthly Mag. 46 409 A few passages of good writing..interlarded with idealess nonsense.
1833 Regulations Instr. Cavalry 126 It is good practice to put them through the ‘Guards’ and ‘Points’.
1860 F. Nightingale Notes on Nursing (rev. ed.) xiii. 167 Good nursing consists simply in observing little things which are common to all sick, and those which are particular to each sick individual.
1907 Times 22 May 12/2 That Somerset did not do better was owing to the good bowling of Tarrant.
1987 Studio Week Mar. 18/1 What's so good about the sound?
2002 Sun 16 July 47/1 I was looking for someone with true pace, good ball skills and a good try-scoring rate.
2007 L. A. Smith Chaos: Very Short Introd. viii. 122 Statistical good practice protects against being misled by wishful thinking.
2. spec.
a. Of land, soil, etc.: fertile. Also in figurative, esp. spiritual, contexts.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > land > landscape > fertile land or place > [adjective]
goodOE
bearinglOE
freshc1325
fat1393
plentive?a1400
fertilec1460
richa1522
fructual1528
batwell1534
battle?1542
battling1548
increaseful1594
uberousa1627
exuberanta1660
generous1661
productive1672
innerly1868
oasal1888
oasitic1896
the world > the earth > structure of the earth > constituent materials > earth or soil > soil qualities > [adjective] > fertile or rich
goodOE
fruitfula1300
gladc1420
unlean?1440
richa1522
batwell1534
battle?1542
luxuriant?c1550
yielding1556
gleby1566
yieldable1577
hearty1580
yieldy1598
liking1600
well-natured1600
lusty1601
growthsome1610
thankful1610
pregnant1615
in heart1626
grateful1832
fatty1855
OE Ælfric Let. to Sigefyrð (Vitell.) in B. Assmann Angelsächsische Homilien u. Heiligenleben (1889) 21 Ðas þry hadas habbað þone þryfealdan wæstm þære godre eorðan.
OE West Saxon Gospels: Mark (Corpus Cambr.) iv. 8 Sum feoll on god land [L. in terram bonam] & hit sealde uppstigende & wexende wæstm.
a1200 (?OE) MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 155 Sum fel bi þe wei and was fortreden..and sum ful on þe gode eorðe, and þat com wel forð.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Mark iv. 20 And these it ben that ben sowun on good lond.
?1523 J. Fitzherbert Bk. Husbandry f. viiv Gode grounde woll haue ye burthan of corne or of wede.
1603 P. Holland tr. Plutarch Morals 3 First and formest requisite it is, that the ground be good.
1732 G. Berkeley Alciphron II. vi. xviii. 65 The seed of the Gospel sown in good ground.
1775 Amer. Husbandry I. v. 50 It requires good land, and much dung, if plentiful crops would be gained.
1833 J. Montgomery in B. B. Edwards Introd. Eclectic Reader xx. 39 The good, the fruitful ground, Expect not here nor there.
1866 Rural Amer. (Utica, N.Y.) 15 Mar. 94/3 (advt.) An excellent, new, very large winter cabbage; heads freely, and with good soil will grow to an enormous size.
1930 L. G. D. Acland Early Canterbury Runs iv. 65 Cabbage trees only grow thick on good land.
2002 Country May 53/2 Another attractive rose..is lovely when grown in a sheltered site in good soil, but hates cold, exposed sites where it sulks.
b. Of advice, judgement, etc.: based on sound reasoning or wise insight, and hence likely to be reliable or valuable in practice.Some examples, esp. in early use, may have a stronger sense of validity (cf. branch A. III.) or of being likely to contribute to one's well-being (cf. branch A. IV.).
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OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 1st Ser. (Royal) (1997) iii. 203 Ac gif he wille þæt him God milde sy, þonne hlyste he godes rædes, na of minum muðe, ac of Cristes sylfes.
a1225 MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 71 (MED) Ne wille ic noht þet þe sunfulle beo ded, ac libbe and nime godne red.
c1330 Seven Sages (Auch.) (1933) l. 1542 Sire,..Þou dost bi a god counseil.
1481 tr. Cicero De Senectute (Caxton) sig. d6 Geuyng good aduices & counseill to such as had Rule and gouernaunce of.
1573 T. Tusser Fiue Hundreth Points Good Husbandry (new ed.) f. 2 Ceres..with her good lessons tolde me, that [etc.].
1596 J. Harington New Disc. Aiax sig. I2v Yet I wil ende with this good counsel, not vnsuting to the text I haue thus long talked of.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry V (1623) iii. vii. 54 You haue good iudgement in Horsemanship. View more context for this quotation
1711 H. Lamp Autobiogr. (1895) iii. 27 Good counsel was dead, To go home I sham'd.
1732 J. Swift Exam. Abuses Dublin 6 I have given good Advice to these infamous Disgracers of their Sex.
1802 J. Skene Diary in Ital. Journey (1937) 127 I am a stranger and..I beg you to show me how I ought to proceed... You know the ropes and can give me good advice.
1895 New Eng. Mag. July 590 Dr. Clark proved his good judgment conspicuously in his choice of general secretary.
a1946 C. Carswell Lying Awake (1950) ii. xv. 149 A friend to be treasured and sought for good counsel.
1996 L. Gough Choosing Pension ii. 18 Achieving such relationships takes effort, good judgement and time.
2002 Field & Stream Oct. 39/2 People do not like good advice if it contradicts their own cherished beliefs.
c. Of metal, esp. silver or gold: not mixed, alloyed, or contaminated; pure; fine. Formerly also: †(of a stone) precious (obsolete).
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a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 1191 A ðhusant plates of siluer god Gaf he sarra.
c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Canon's Yeoman's Tale (Ellesmere) (1875) l. 1335 They were siluer fyn and good.
1530 R. Whitford Werke for Housholders (new ed.) sig. Ciii Yf a person wolde prynte & coyne money of good syluer or good golde,..that thynge wolde nothynge excuse the persone vnto the kynge or his lawes.
c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 23v No hede toke Of gold ne of garmenttes ne of goode stonys.
1596 E. Spenser Second Pt. Faerie Queene iv. v. sig. E3v With golden foyle doth finely ouer spred Some baser metall, which commend he will Vnto the vulgar for good gold insted. View more context for this quotation
1684 R. Boyle Exper. Porosity of Bodies 108 We took good Copper laminated to the thickness of a Shilling or thereabouts.
1739 R. Hayes Negociator's Mag. (ed. 4) 213 There but only one Piece, which is called the New England Shilling: It is made of good Silver.
1784 J. Pinkerton Ess. Medals App. iv. 313 Who will suppose that the denarius was of washed copper, and its half of good silver?
1873 E. Spon Workshop Receipts 1st Ser. 364 2 parts of good silver and 1 of ordinary brass pins, well melted, is a good, useful jewellers' hard solder.
1930 T. E. Peet tr. Papyrus B.M. 10068 in Great Tomb Robberies I. 88 Total of good gold, white gold and silver, 17 deben.
2010 Searcher Feb. 14/1 It should be very base (only one third fine silver to two thirds alloy) but it appears to be struck in good silver.
†d. Of ale, beer, or wine: of high alcoholic strength; heavy, strong. Contrasted with small (see small adj. 14a(a)). Obsolete.
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Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 201 Goode wyne, temetum.
1463 in E. W. W. Veale Great Red Bk. Bristol: Text Pt. II (1938) 69 (MED) And that they make but twoo Maner of Ale; That is to sey, Goode Ale and smale Ale.
1569 ‘L. Avale’ Commem. Edmonde Boner v. sig. Biiij Thei whiche are not able, Doe sitte still at the table, With colour Scarlet pale So small is their good ale.
1616 G. Markham tr. C. Estienne et al. Maison Rustique (rev. ed.) v. xxiii. 588 Of these they haue diuers kindes, as first strong Ale or good Ale, then middle Ale, and lastly small Ale.
e. Of language: that is written or spoken to a proficient or high standard (esp. by a non-native speaker); correct or accurate with regard to grammar, pronunciation, etc.
ΚΠ
1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. f. ccxv/2 Euer as he went he named hym selfe to beseruaunt to yuan of Wales for he spake good frenche sayeng howe he was come out of Wales to speke with yuan.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor (1623) v. v. 132 I will neuer mistrust my wife againe, till thou art able to woo her in good English. View more context for this quotation
1668 H. Neville Isle of Pines (title page) A Dutch Ship, driven by foul Weather there, by Chance have found their posterity (speaking good English) to amount to ten or twelve thousand persons.
1707 G. Farquhar Beaux Stratagem iii. 28 You talk very good English, but you have a mighty Twang of the Foreigner.
1789 Walker's Hibernian Mag. Apr. 178/2 The Irishman spoke good Spanish, and had no income.
1818 Farmer's Mag. 75 312 Though, when they come to school, these children speak only the dialect of their village, most of them now express themselves in good German.
a1863 R. Whately Misc. Remains (1864) 216 ‘I don't think so’..is good English. But we should not say ‘he don't think so’, but he doesn't think so.
1883 Malvern (Iowa) Republican Leader 4 Jan. 2/7 The art of writing good English is not taught in any college. It is acquired by experience.
1910 Times 25 Mar. 4/6 Dr. Merry, whose remarkable power of speaking good Latin so that it could be understood by a Commemoration audience was not the only great gift that he brought to the duties of Public Orator.
1968 J. N. Sevenster Do you know Greek i. 24 Alexandrine Jews of the diaspora certainly spoke good Greek.
1989 R. A. Gardner et al. in R. A. Gardner & B. T. Gardner Teaching Sign Lang. to Chimpanzees i. 6 Signing good ASL is about as difficult as attempting to speak good English while simultaneously writing good Russian.
2000 N. Griffiths Grits (2001) 398 Don't worry, my English is good—it's bound to be, I've been surrounded by it all my fucking life aye.
f. Of food, medicine, etc.: fit for consumption or use; spec. not stale, contaminated, or rotten. Frequently in to keep good: to keep fresh.Examples from earlier texts relating to the preparation of food or medicines (e.g. quots. eOE2 at sense A. 1b(a), c1450 at sense A. 1b(a)) may possibly be this sense.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > condition of matter > state of being undecayed > [adjective]
fresheOE
soundc1290
uncorruptc1384
incorrupt1387
faira1400
recent?a1425
inconsumed1530
uncorruptedc1540
good1558
incorruptedc1593
square1628
undecayed1632
uncorroded1685
untarnished1732
unspoiled1733
unfailed1749
unwasted1758
firm1776
unspoilt1796
undegenerate1854
undeteriorated1856
unvitiated1864
1558 W. Ward tr. G. Ruscelli Secretes Alexis of Piemount iv. f. 76 The saied composition will bee good for fyue or syxe monethes or moore: and you maye renewe it at your pleasure.
1665 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 1 49 How Meat and Drink may be kept good in very Cold Countries.
1689 J. Locke Two Treat. Govt. ii. §46 He also bart'red away Plumbs, that would have rotted in a Week, for Nuts that would last good for his eating a whole Year.
1747 H. Glasse Art of Cookery ix. 117 Let your Butter be good, they will keep a long time.
1753 Chambers's Cycl. Suppl. at Tracing These traces of [Indian] corn they hang up within doors,..and they will..keep good the whole winter.
1870 Cassell's Househ. Guide I. 336/2 If the meat is good the knife will come out clean and smell sweet; but if bad the knife will be discoloured, and smell rank.
1918 Bull. Pharmacy Nov. 41/2 (advt.) Write for full description—see how these cases are built, how they keep good cigars good.
2001 C. Bloom Cookies for Dummies iii. 43 If you're unsure whether milk is still good, give it the sniff test.
g. Of a question or observation: requiring careful consideration before an answer or response is given; particularly pertinent or challenging. Chiefly in good question.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > enquiry > [noun] > act or instance of > difficult or crucial
opposal?a1439
problem1543
good questiona1576
searcher1923
sixty-four dollar question1942
a1576 W. Bullein Bulwarke Def. (1579) f. 47 A good question.
1629 Bp. J. Hall Serm. Ashwednesday 49 Who made thee a Iudge? was a good question, though ill asked.
1753 S. Richardson Hist. Sir Charles Grandison II. vii. 109 Cannot you reward him, Sir Charles, but by punishing me? A good question, Charlotte. But do you take what I have said in that light?
1822 G. C. tr. J.-B. Louvet de Couvray Amours Chevalier de Faublas IV. 166 —Do you suppose, Rosambert, that I do not love her?—That is a good question! I know you love them all.
1918 F. von Hügel Let. 11 Dec. (1927) 259 What is the precise meaning of Thekla's insistence upon religion as primarily an is-ness, not an ought-ness? A good question.
1945 C. S. Lewis That Hideous Strength ix. 235 ‘That's a very good question,’ said MacPhee.
1958 J. Barth End of Road iv. 54 ‘That's a good point’, he grinned, and began his harangue.
1997 J. Wilson Lottie Project (1998) 102 OK. Maybe that's a good point—if a cheap one.
2006 Private Eye 7 July 8/2 What about the billions being hosed at a new computer system for the National Health Service? How many billions exactly? Good question!
h. Originally Scottish. Of clothes: smart and suitable formal wear. Also of a room, furnishing, or household article: of superior quality and hence reserved for special occasions. Cf. best adj. 1b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > clothing > types or styles of clothing > [adjective] > fine, elegant, or smart
quaintc1330
nice1395
merryc1400
featc1430
elegant?c1500
mannerly1523
fine1526
neat1566
trim1675
smart1704
dressy1785
natty1794
good1809
dossy1889
dicty1932
whip-smart1937
zooty1943
sharp1944
preppy1963
society > inhabiting and dwelling > inhabited place > a building > parts of building > room > room by type of use > [adjective] > other spec.
best1663
good1809
social1861
1809 Trans. Soc. Arts, Manuf., & Commerce 27 216 Over and above the sweeping dress, we will provide for each boy a complete suit of good clothes, including linen, hat, shoes, and stockings, on every Easter Sunday.
1825 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Suppl. at Gude-anes She canna cum ben, for she hasna her gude-anes on.
1852 Spectator 3 Jan. 13/2 Philanthropist enters the public-house—enters the ‘good parlour’—rather wondering at the taste which sanctioned the adjective—and sits down to observe.
1864 R. Chambers Bk. of Days II. 648/2 He slowly read from the prayer-book the whole of the morning-service.., concluding about the same time as the church was coming out, when his good coat was laid aside, and the old one put on.
1898 Locomotive Firemen's Mag. Jan. 70/2 On no occasion does she wear her good dress while attending to household duties.
1936 Scots Mag. Dec. 226 The kitchen is for the rank and file, but to the good room, that Holy of Holies, only a privileged few are admitted.
1954 W. Dalzell & N. Mitzman Father's been to Mars ii. 52 Look out for that cake in there! And the good china is out!
1973 H. Colman Chicano Girl viii. 153 Rosa María went into the house to take off her ‘good’ clothes.
1994 A. L. Kennedy Now that you're Back 237 He glanced down and remembered he was wearing trainers because his good shoes were still drying out after the pool.
2005 S. Auslander Beware of God 172 His wife had set the table with the good tablecloth, the good silverware and the good glasses.
i. Of theatre, radio, television, etc.: successfully engaging the audience by making effective use of the distinctive characteristics and features of the specified medium.
ΚΠ
1845 N. P. Willis Dashes at Life with Free Pencil iv. 172 We are surprised at this discouragement, on his knowing part, of the great secret of good opera and good everything else.
1885 G. Meredith Diana of Crossways III. xiv. 285 A pretty woman in a right-down termagant passion is good theatre; because it can't last, at that pace; and you're sure of your agreeable tableau.
1908 Graduate Mag. Univ. Kansas Apr. 269/2 If it were condensed and more pressure turned on, it were good vaudeville.
1926 C. Morley Good Theatre 216 Don't be sore on them laughs, brother. Every one o' them screams is a meal ticket. That's what I call good theayter.
1951 Ann. Reg. 1950 415 Not only did these forums..make good radio, but they were also excellent publicity for the B.B.C.
1962 Listener 7 June 1009/3 It may be that this sincere, searching composer has developed an abstract theory in this case into good theatre. Whether it is good opera is another matter.
1971 Times 18 Nov. 15/2 There is the temptation for producers to seek what they regard as ‘good television’, which can mean a search for drama as such and for conflict in the studio no matter how unnecessary it may be for the presentation of a case.
1999 T. Parsons Man & Boy (2000) iii. 23 What made it good radio was that Marty sounded like there was nowhere else he would rather be than chatting to the mouth-foaming denizens of nut nation.
2002 H. Nauert in C. Bull & S. Erman At Ground Zero 160 He was right that personal stories were good television and would bring the story home to people far from New York.
3.
a. Of a person: having the qualities, characteristics, or skills needed to perform the specified role or pursue a specified occupation appropriately or to a high standard.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > ability > skill or skilfulness > [adjective] > at something spec.
goodeOE
great1552
singular1606
hot1845
a whale on1893
smoking1934
tasty1974
eOE Laws of Ine (Corpus Cambr. 173) xxv. §1. 100 Gif ðiefefioh mon æt ciepan befo, & he hit næbbe beforan godum weotum geceapod, gecyðe hit be wite, þæt he ne gewita ne gestala nære.
OE Beowulf (2008) 863 Ne hie huru winedrihten wiht ne logon, glædne Hroðgar, ac þæt wæs god cyning.
a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 39 Þe gode herdes wakieð on faire liflode ouer here orf.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 12714 Cniht he wes wunder god. & he hafde swiðe muchel mod.
?a1300 Maximian (Digby) 10 in C. Brown Eng. Lyrics 13th Cent. (1932) 92 Clerc he wes foul goed.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 7761 Mani gode archer þan was þar.
a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 223 Monsouris of France, gud clarat cunnaris.
1518 A. Clifton Let. in B. Cusack Everyday Eng. 1500–1700 (1998) 224 Ryght wyrchypfull brodyre I hartyly recowmawnd me vn to ȝow besechyng ȝow to be gud brodyre to me.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VII f. xxiijv Furnished with .lxx. thousand good fightyng men.
1632 J. Hayward tr. G. F. Biondi Eromena 84 For there have we good Chirurgions.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 116 Good Shepherds after sheering, drench their Sheep. View more context for this quotation
1738 J. Swift Compl. Coll. Genteel Conversat. 102 A good Wife must be bespoke, for there is none ready made.
1751 D. Hume Let. 10 Mar. (1932) I. 156 I woud give more to be thought a good Droll, than to have the Praises of Erudition, & Subtility, & Invention.
1788 R. Bage James Wallace I. 217 My aim is to make my parishioners good husbands, good fathers, and good friends.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. iii. 396 Good Latin scholars were numerous.
1885 J. Payn Luck of Darrells I. viii. 125 She will make him a good wife.
1908 F. C. Slater Sunburnt South 21 I felt comfortable in my own mind that Klaas..would make Lena a good husband, and would manage the farm well after my death.
1967 Brit. Jrnl. Psychiatry 113 1020/1 It has..been suggested that many of the personality traits which characterize a good doctor may predispose to depression.
2000 P. Agbabi Transformatrix 28 They called me Miss Highlife, I was not considered a good wife but I always respected my husband.
b. Skilled or thoroughly competent in a particular activity.
(a) attributive, typically with agent nouns.
ΚΠ
OE Blickling Homilies 207 Se bisceop þa ðær gesette gode sangeras & mæssepreostas.
OE Ælfric Homily (Cambr. Ii.4.6) in J. C. Pope Homilies of Ælfric (1967) I. 366 We habbað on þam Suna swiðe godne þingere.
a1425 (?a1400) G. Chaucer Romaunt Rose (Hunterian) (1891) l. 2313 If that thou good ridere be Prike gladly.
1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry i. f. 14v That the Bailiffe be a good riser, and that..he may be the fyrst vp in the mornyng.
1639 R. Zouch Sophister iii. ii. sig. Gv I am no good speaker.
1710 Ld. Shaftesbury Soliloquy 16 'Tis the hardest thing in the world to be a good Thinker, without being a strong Self-Examiner.
a1784 S. Johnson in H. L. Piozzi Anecd. Johnson (1786) 83 Dear Bathurst..was a man to my very heart's content; he hated a fool, and he hated a rogue, and he hated a whig: he was a very good hater.
1836 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers (1837) ii. 21 ‘The Doctor, I believe, is a very good shot,’ said Mr. Winkle.
1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. III. xiii. 330 All comely in appearance, and good men of their hands.
1882 Cent. Mag. July 369/1 The world likes a good hater and refuser almost as well as it likes a good lover and acceptor, only it likes him farther off.
1919 Oakland (Calif.) Tribune 6 Apr. x. 2/6 (advt.) Telephone soliciting and orders taken for professional and business men by educated, experienced business woman who is a good talker.
1952 R. Ellison Invisible Man xiii. 221 We need a good speaker... Someone who can articulate the grievances of the people.
1971 D. Eber Pitseolak: Pictures out of my Life 56 Like his father, Kaka is a very good hunter and every year he gets the most beautiful skins from a special seal—the ‘kasigiak’.
2000 W. Self How Dead Live (2001) iii. 89 Charlie is a very good driver.
(b) In predicative use. Chiefly with at or (less commonly) in (also occasionally †for, †of, †to).
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > ability > [adjective] > competent
goodc1275
sufficientc1385
suffisantc1385
capable1609
adequate1867
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 262 He nom his kene men þa to compe weren gode.
c1450 (c1400) Sowdon of Babylon (1881) l. 67 (MED) The maister sende a man to londe, Of diuers langages was gode and trewe.
c1450 (c1350) Alexander & Dindimus (Bodl.) (1929) l. 23 Þe gentil Genosophistiens þat goode were of witte.
?1566 J. Alday tr. P. Boaistuau Theatrum Mundi sig. T b Cais Cesar was so good on horsebacke that [etc.].
1617 F. Moryson Itinerary iii. 51 The Florentines..good at the needle.
1656 A. Wood Life 22 July He was very good for the treble violl, and also for the violin.
1700 T. Brown Amusem. Serious & Comical vi. 71 Brave Men indeed, if they were half as good at Praying, and Fighting, as they are at Cursing and Swearing.
1712 R. Steele Spectator No. 497. ⁋1 Such whom he observed were good at a Halt, as his phrase was.
1776 S. Foote Bankrupt i. 4 Are you good at a riddle?
1782 Ld. Nelson in Dispatches & Lett. (1845) I. 64 He does his duty exceedingly well as an Officer: indeed I am very well off. They are all good.
1808 Sporting Mag. 32 76 He..shewed good, but fell on his knees on one of his adversary's blows.
1849 W. M. Thackeray Pendennis i. xx I am not good at descriptions of female beauty.
1951 W. S. Burroughs Let. 5 May (1993) 84 To give him his due, he is good at that sort of thing.
1994 N. C. Shah in A. K. Kapoor & S. Kapoor Ecol. & Man in Himalayas vii. 95 The Rajis are good in making agricultural tools.
2004 C. Lee Aloft vii. 187 He's good, for sure, obviously not self-taught, nothing natural about it.
2011 Welland Valley Feeds Newslet. Dec. 6/3 (advt.) 5* home awaits the perfect horse. Must be good at dressage, SJ, XC, hunting.
(c) In predicative use with with: skilled or highly competent at using, handling, or dealing with the specified thing. Originally in to be good with one's hands (see hand n. Phrases 3i).
ΚΠ
1820 J. H. Reynolds Fancy 91 Randall,—John,—Irish Parents,—age not known,—Good with both hands, and only ten stone four!
1852 J. D. Canning Harp & Plow 150 Were I good with the charcoal, my tale I'd adorn With a sketch of the drummer that auspicious morn.
1883 Monthly Packet Mar. 235 He always was good with his hands... I sometimes think it is the only thing he is fit for—carpentering and odd jobs of that kind.
1954 E. Taylor Hester Lilly 146 They suffered the doctor's jocularity passively, used to it, for he was good with children.
1956 R. Barr Long Arm (unpubl. film-script) 100 Ward: Good with locks too, eh? Thomas: Magic!
1977 P. Leach Baby & Child iii. 167 The child who is good with a ball is one whose hand–eye coordination is well developed.
1977 J. Lees-Milne Diary 27 Apr. in Through Wood & Dale (2001) 163 I am not good with young females. They get on my nerves.
1987 J. McCorkle in S. Ravenel New Stories from South (1988) 65 I am not good with money.
2001 L. Erdrich Last Rep. on Miracles at Little No Horse xi. 198 He was good with a hammer.
c. Of a friend, ally, etc.: trusted, loyal, true; (more generally, of a friend) close, intimate. to be good friends: to have a mutual bond of close and loyal friendship.
ΚΠ
lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1129 Se kyng..& se eorl..wurðon þa alswa gode freond swa hi wæron æror feond.
c1225 (?c1200) Hali Meiðhad (Bodl.) (1940) l. 150 (MED) Ha is us swiðe godd freond.
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 7972 Þis tueye breþeren gode frend were þo riȝt.
c1450 Alphabet of Tales (1905) II. 339 (MED) He had a gude frend, a preste, þat said a mes for hym & offred þe sacrament for hym.
?1483 W. Caxton tr. Caton i. sig. dviiiv Whan two good frendes ben wel alyed to gyder, they be stronger.
a1556 N. Udall Ralph Roister Doister (?1566) i. ii. sig. A.iijv Farewell all my good friendes, the tyme away dothe waste, And the tide they say, tarieth for no man.
1598 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 1 iii. iii. 182 I am good friends with my father and may do any thing. View more context for this quotation
1649 Moderate No. 34. 347 The Hamiltonians..were all one, and as good friends as two Common Cheats (alias Lawyers) after pleading.
1676 T. Hobbes tr. Homer Iliads ii. 36 Slain by Achilles who there massacred Many a Trojan, many a good Ally.
1725 J. Freind Hist. Physick I. 265 Calling in to his aid his ancient good ally, Microcosmetor, Governor of the Animal Spirits, he gives battle to the disturbers of his rest.
1781 J. Bentham Mem. & Corr. in Wks. (1843) X. 100 If anything should happen to jumble us together, we may perhaps be good pax.
1838 A. Jameson Winter Stud. & Summer Rambles Canada III. 55 A distinguished Pottowottomie warrior..was..a good friend to the Long-knives, (The Americans).
1893 New Rev. Mar. 285 She laughed; and offered him the half almond, and from that time they remained as good friends as ever.
1919 Boys' Life May 74 There's nothing like a bicycle club for jolly good fun—good pals—and good companionship.
1968 K. Weatherly Roo Shooter 109 Old Sam, born and reared in the bush, a good mate and bushman.
1992 Stornoway Gaz. 18 Apr. 9/5 My father's brother, Uncle Dan, was at one time the big drummer and himself and Snowy, the pipe major, were good friends.
2011 Independent 6 Sept. (Viewspaper section) 21/5 She wouldn't listen to me but she listened to a good friend who persuaded her to re-sit.
d. Strictly adhering to or loyally fulfilling all the principles of a particular religion, political party or ideology, or other cause.
ΚΠ
a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 19 (MED) Þe ðridde ne doð noman bute þe gode cristene.
c1400 (?c1380) Pearl l. 1202 (MED) To pay þe Prince..Hit is ful eþe to þe god Krystyin.
1613 S. Purchas Pilgrimage 250 He had heard even good Saracens affirme with griefe, that..they could finde no Reason in it [sc. the Koran].
1718 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. May (1965) I. 408 She was too good a Christian to kill her selfe as that heathenish Roman did.
1829 W. Scott Anne of Geierstein II. vi. 216 That good Christians may bestow their alms upon him, and so make a step on his road to Heaven.
1866 H. B. Stowe Little Foxes 34 It is almost impossible for a confirmed dyspeptic to act like a good Christian; but a good Christian ought not to become a confirmed dyspeptic.
1931 E. Sutton tr. W. Eidlitz Zodiak iii. 85 I taught them all the Christian ‘Our Father’ in church language—although I'm a good Moslem.
1931 F. L. Allen Only Yesterday iii. 70 Some of his sedate fellow-members..wondered if such a good Republican could be becoming a parlor pink.
1949 ‘G. Orwell’ Nineteen Eighty-four ii. ii. 123 You thought I was a good Party member. Pure in word and deed. Banners, processions, slogans, games, community hikes—all that stuff.
2004 S. Mehta Maximum City 38 On Friday, 12 March, when every good Muslim was reading his namaaz prayers, ten powerful bombs planted by the Muslim underworld went off all over the city.
4. Of a person: distinguished by admirable or commendable qualities; worthy, estimable, fine.
a. As a term of general commendation or approval. In early use usually implying distinguished rank or valour; in later use typically suggestive of honest reliability or decency, or personal worth regardless of rank or status. Now chiefly in good men and true (now somewhat archaic), and comparative expressions, as as good as, too good for, etc. See also good man at sense A. 4e.In modern English, good typically has some aspect of moral judgement when applied to people (cf. branch A. II.), creating some overlap between this sense and weakened examples of the moral use; cf., e.g., quot. 1808 and quot. 1960 at sense A. 15a.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > virtue > [adjective]
goodeOE
dowingc1175
well-theweda1200
thewful?c1225
goodfulc1275
flourisheda1375
virtuousc1390
honesta1393
fine?a1400
theweda1400
well-manneredc1400
well-conditioneda1425
moralc1443
mannerlya1500
virtuala1500
graceful1611
well-moralized1624
well-principled1635
morate1652
unlicentious1737
respectable1750
nice1799
eOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Parker) anno 871 Þær wearþ Heahmund biscep ofslægen & fela godra monna.
OE St. Margaret (Tiber.) (1994) 136 Ic, Þeotimus, genam þa reliquias..and ic hio geheold on sumes godes wifes huse [L. in domum cuiusdam inclite matrone].
OE Wærferð tr. Gregory Dialogues (Corpus Cambr.) (1900) ii. xxiii. 151 Hi forseoð hi selfe læs on þysum middanearde þa þe þæncað, þæt hi syn sylfe ma gode þonne oðre men.
lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1124 Mid him ferde þes kinges stiward of France..& fela oðre godre cnihte.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 185 We habbeð seoue þusun[d] [MS þusunð] of gode cnihten.
c1300 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Otho) (1963) l. 29 Nu biddeþ Laweman. echne godne [c1275 Calig. æðele] mon..þat þes boc redeþ [etc.].
1480 Table Prouffytable Lernynge (Caxton) (1964) 9 Be ye buxom..Vnto your seruaunts. Thynke that they be As good as ye.
a1535 T. More Hist. Richard III in Wks. (1557) 46/1 That sacred Sainctuary, that hath bene the safegarde of so many a good mannes life.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VII f. v So by this pollitique wisdome & ingenious meanes of the good duke.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 1 (1623) iii. i. 41 But he shall know I am as good. Glost. As good? Thou Bastard of my Grandfather. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Coriolanus (1623) iv. v. 186 I do not say thwacke our Generall, but he was alwayes good enough for him. View more context for this quotation
a1635 T. Randolph Muses Looking-glasse iv. iv. 79 in Poems (1638) I had rather..haue his twelve Godvathers, good men and true contemne him to the Gallowes.
1709 R. Steele Tatler No. 50. ⁋12 Submitting my self to be try'd by my Country, and allowing any Jury of 12 good Men, and true, to be that Country.
1808 E. S. Barrett Miss-led General 182 One Whitepot, a very good sort of a home-brewed general.
1825 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Suppl. at Gud ‘You are no sae gude as me’; i.e. ‘You are not so well-born.’
1868 W. Collins Moonstone II. ii. viii. 198 And, now it comes to the pinch, my son isn't good enough for you.
1897 A. T. Mahan Life Nelson II. xv. 43 On one occasion..Nelson took too much champagne... Such a thing has happened on isolated occasions to many a good man and true.
1937 F. Loesser Everybody Sings in R. Kimball & S. Nelson Compl. Lyrics F. Loesser (2003) 21/3 Far be it from me to weep in your demitasses, Calling those lower classes Just as good as you.
1949 L. Glassop Lucky Palmer 96 The trouble is, Mr Hughes, you're too good for the pie-eating bookmakers round these parts.
1992 J. Critchley Floating Voter (BNC) 111 They were good men and true who strove mightily in the interests of the Party, and for precious little reward.
2006 Nuts 11 Aug. 28/3 It doesn't matter how famous you are, acting like you're too good for your boyfriend is just not on.
b. As a conventional epithet prefixed to a title, used in addressing or referring to a person of high rank or social status, sometimes specifically a patron or patroness (cf. goodlord n., goodlordship n.). Now historical or archaic.Formerly also in stylized forms of address in which good precedes the possessive adjective, as good my lord, good your ladyship, etc.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > social class > nobility > title > title or form of address for persons of rank > [adjective] > specific epithets for persons of rank
goodOE
worshipful1398
the Greata1413
the Grand1426
honourablea1440
Right Honourable?1449
granda1460
Hon'ble?1541
Hon.1587
Right Hon.1587
Rt. Hon.1660
magnificent1717
OE tr. Apollonius of Tyre (1958) xx. 32 Þu goda cyngc [L. bone rex] and min se leofesta fæder.
lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) anno 1093 Seo gode cwen Margarita þis gehyrde.
1442 T. Beckington Corr. (Rolls) II. 191 He can open unto your good Lordship much of the substance therof.
a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) I. 407 ‘How so, my good lorde?’ seyde sir Trystramys.
?a1500 (?1458) in J. H. Parker Some Acct. Domest. Archit. (1859) III. ii. 43 (MED) The gode lorde of Abendon left of his londe For the breed of the brige xxiiii fote large.
1533 J. Heywood Play of Wether sig. A.iv [Addressing Jupiter] Nowe good my lorde god our lady be wyth ye.
?c1535 L. Cox Arte Rhethorycke (new ed.) Ep. Ded. sig. Aij Consyderyng my specyall good lorde howe greatly..I am bounden to your lordeshippe.
a1555 N. Ridley Certein Conf. Ridley & Latimer (1556) sig. B.vv Wherfore goode my Lorde be of goode cheare in the Lorde.
c1565 Adambel Clym of Cloughe & Wyllyam of Cloudesle (Copland) sig. C.iv Then good lorde I you beseche The yemen graunt ye me.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Cymbeline (1623) ii. iii. 150 She's my good Lady. View more context for this quotation
1688 C. Lyttelton 6 Nov. in E. M. Thompson Corr. Family of Hatton (1878) II. 99 Good my Lord, give me free advise in this matter.
1713 E. Freke Let. 19 Sept. in Remembrances (2001) 203 And then, I hope, his good lordship and your selfe will be pleased since he is accepted by our good and gratious queene, my patroness.
1741 S. Richardson Pamela III. xvi. 83 Good your Ladyship, let not my honour'd Master see this Letter.
1790 Suppl. Calcutta Chron. 4 Feb. Your good King has been seduced, his Heart was poison'd with the venom of Calumny.
1819 P. B. Shelley Cenci ii. ii. 30 You, my good lord Orsino, heard those words.
1843 E. Bulwer-Lytton Last of Barons II. iv. iv. 49 I have over-tarried, good my lord.
1876 L. Morris Epic of Hades ii. 59 My good Lord Who loved too much, to palter with the past.
1914 Bulletin (Sydney) 3 Sept. 48/1 Here, tell me, my good Lord Muck, Which one of them carries the station brand?
1939 Boys' Life Jan. 13/2 Oh, my good king—nay, rather my betrayer.
1987 New York 2 Mar. 174/2 Mark you, if he slips through your fingers again, my good Lord Portcullis, it is your head that will adorn Tower Bridge.
c. Used in addressing or referring to someone in a courteous or respectful manner. Now often humorous or somewhat depreciative. See also good lady n. at Compounds 1c, goodman n., goodwife n. your good self (or selves): a form of polite address or reference, typically used in commercial relationships. good people: a courteous form of addressing a body or assembly of people.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > courtesy > courteous forms of address or title > [adjective]
goodeOE
liefc897
sweeta1225
beauc1300
gentlec1330
comelya1375
faira1375
reverentc1410
reverend1422
virtuous?1473
singular1485
lucky1568
respectable1749
eOE King Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care (Hatton) (1871) lxv. 467 Loca nu, ðu goda wer [L. bone vir] Iohannes, hu fægerne & hu wlitigne monnan ic hæbbe atæfred.
lOE Homily: Gospel of Nicodemus (Vesp. D.xiv) in R. D.-N. Warner Early Eng. Homilies (1917) 81 Gode fæder, sæge hit us.
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 190 He acsede ate guode wyfman..hou moche hi hedde him y-lete.
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 109 (MED) There gode Gawan watz grayþed Gwenore bisyde.
c1475 (a1400) Sir Amadace (Taylor) in J. Robson Three Early Eng. Metrical Romances (1842) 39 (MED) Gode Sirs, take noȝte on greue, For ȝe most noue take ȝour leue.
1529 T. More Dialogue Heresyes cxix. a/2 And what hath hurt it, good father?
1554 Diary 23 Feb. in J. G. Nichols Chron. Queen Jane (1850) 63 Good people, this daie I am come hether to dye.
?1554 in Lady J. Grey Epist. sig. B.viii Good Christian people, I shall desyre you all..to beare me witnesse, that I here dye a true Christian woman.
1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World II. 384 Some good body tell me, I pray, how he could feele the smell thereof.
1652 N. Culpeper Eng. Physitian Enlarged 15 It is very safe, and very fit to be kept in every good bodies house.
1705 J. Vanbrugh Confederacy (1730) i. ii. 23 Who is this good woman, Flippanta?
1766 O. Goldsmith Elegy Mad Dog in Vicar of Wakefield I. 175 Good people all, of every sort, Give ear unto my song.
1768 O. Goldsmith Good Natur'd Man iii. 34 Two of my very good friends, Mr. Twitch and Mr. Flanigan.
1796 H. Hunter tr. J.-H. B. de Saint-Pierre Paul & Virginia in tr. J.-H. B. de Saint-Pierre Stud. Nature V. 102 My good friend, your sister shall remain with us.
1798 C. Smith Young Philosopher IV. 1 The good lady was in her dressing-room.
1839 C. Dickens Nicholas Nickleby i. 4 This good lady bore him two children.
1841 C. Dickens Barnaby Rudge xix. 38 My good soul..you are quite mistaken.
1850 H. T. Cheever Whale & his Captors ii. 41 I was here presented with a couple of rolls of white kapa by the good woman of the house.
1923 Daily Mail 20 Feb. 3 It is more than probable our next orders will be placed with your good-selves.
1931 Church Times 8 May 569/3 The kindness and consideration shown by your good self to me.
1957 E. Partridge Eng. gone Wrong i. 17 Then there are such monstrosities as your good self or selves; of recent date; [etc.].
1967 Daily Tel. 30 Aug. 7 I have always understood that the words ‘goodself’ and ‘goodselves’ related to credit-worthiness.
2003 R. Liddle Too Beautiful for You (2004) 80 This is BBC Norfolk takin' you thru the wee small hours with heavy heavy multi techno garage, house and conservatory for the good people of East Anglia.
d. In extended use of a ship, town, river, etc. (chiefly with reference to things personified or conventionally treated as feminine: cf. she pron.1 2a). Now only as a conventional epithet in set expressions, as the good ship —— (now frequently in humorous extended use), the good town of —— (somewhat archaic).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > [adjective] > worthy of esteem
goodOE
esteemable1612
estimablea1698
OE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Parker) anno 1001 Foran ða þanon west oþ þæt hy coman to Defenan..& forbærndon Tegntun & eac fela oðra godra hama þe we genemnan ne cunnan.
lOE St. Nicholas (Corpus Cambr.) (1997) 86 Þa wearð se erchebisceop dæd of þam godan burge þe is gehaten Mirrea.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) l. 24862 Euer-mare þai lokid doun. quen þat gode ship [Vesp. þe scip] sulde droun.
1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. cccliii. f. ccxxixv/2 Therby they shulde haue the good ryuer of Lescault, and the flete therof at their pleasure.
1569 R. Grafton Chron. II. 304 That the Prelates and Nobles of Fraunce, and the good townes should assemble themselues.
1589 E. Hogan in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations i. 156 Being imbarked in the good shippe, called the Gallion of London.
1625 S. Purchas Pilgrimes III. ii. ii. 255 Nor would the Monson suffer him to go to Liampoo, but to go to the good riuer Tanauquir.
1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 27 Good men of warre, though ships for traffique.
1682 N. O. tr. N. Boileau-Despréaux Lutrin ii. 14 Thus did the Gypsey flutter up and down Through City, Country, Village, and good Town.
1709 R. Steele Tatler No. 144. ⁋8 There are at this Time in the good Town of Edinburgh, Beaus, Fops, and Coxcombs.
1735 Lives Most Remarkable Criminals II. 245 Capt. Creagh was indicted for Feloniously sinking the good Ship called the Friendship.
1810 Ld. Byron Nurse's Dole in Occas. Pieces 3 The good ship Argo..still unlaunch'd from Grecian docks.
1864 Bill of Lading in Law Rep.: Eng. & Irish Appeal Cases (1874) 6 288 Shipped in good order, etc...in and upon the good ship called the Java.
1868 Locomotive Engineers' Monthly Jrnl. Sept. 260/1 The prolonged whistle of the good locomotive, ‘Antelope’, which has drawn us to the summit of Sierra.
1871 Harper's Mag. Feb. 353/2 One of the numerous trade corporations established in the good city of Paris.
1901 Badminton Mag. Feb. 130 All these ‘natural commodities’ are united..by the good river Thames itself.
1934 S. Clare On Good Ship Lollipop (sheet music) 3 On the good ship Lollipop It's a sweet trip to a candy shop Where bon-bon's play on the sunny beach of peppermint bay.
1987 A. P. Taylor tr. A. H. Ba Fortunes of Wangrin (1999) iv. 38 His life in the good town of Diagaramba was bound to be extremely happy.
1998 Newsweek 11 May 87/2 That salty bit of e-mail comes from the good ship Chessie Racing, skirting Cape Horn some weeks ago in the Whitbread Round the World Race.
2003 Ireland on Sunday 20 July 80/3 The same fans were singing his praises as the good ship Sunderland sank from the Premiership without a trace.
e. Used in exclamations expressing commendation or approval of someone's actions. Frequently in good man. See also good old at old adj. 16b.Not clearly distinguishable from sense A. 16a when the comment is addressed to a child, as in good boy, good girl.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > approval or sanction > commendation or praise > expressions of commendation [interjection]
well-donea1500
macte1573
hear- him1727
hear1768
that's your sort1792
top marks1829
that's the spirit1853
good for you (also him, her, etc.)1855
good man1887
good egg1903
attaboy1909
to go up (also down) one1909
right on1911
hotcha1931
thataboy1936
hubba-hubba1944
chapeau1976
1887 Murray's Mag. Jan. 97 She held out her hand. ‘Good man! that is what I call a friend!’
1915 C. E. Gouldsbury Tiger Slayer by Order xxiv. 184 Often on my return to the camp after a lucky day's sport my smiling Somalis would clap me on the back saying, ‘Good chap! Good chap!’
1933 A. G. Macdonell England, their England vi. 82 You can keep your mouth shut. Good man.
1955 L. P. Hartley Perfect Woman ix. 85 Oh, so you did go?.. Good man.
1997 Escape Mar. 78/3 ‘Good lad,’ he says..as he slips him a tenner. Hang on—that's almost a bung, isn't it?
2010 J. O'Connor Ghost Light (2011) xii. 199 All shipshape with yourself, Bob? Good man, that's the ticket.
5.
a. Of a personal quality, attribute, behavioural trait, etc.: conferring merit or distinction upon the subject; redounding to a person's credit; laudable, commendable, estimable. Also in extended use.Often, esp. in early use, suggesting inherent personal virtue and, therefore, overlapping with branch A. II. Later also with reference to qualities or behaviour expected in people of good birth (see sense A. 5c).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > [adjective]
goodOE
winlyOE
snella1000
winc1275
boonc1325
cleana1375
tidya1375
positivea1398
comelyc1400
kindc1400
kindly?a1425
well-formeda1425
trim?a1513
wally?a1513
bonnya1525
delicatea1533
goodlike1562
sappy1563
bein1567
rum1567
benedict1576
warrantable1581
true (also good, sure) as touch1590
goodlisomea1603
respectable1603
clever1738
amusing1753
plummy1787
bone1793
brickish1843
mooi1850
ryebuck1859
spandy1868
greatisha1871
healthy1878
popular1884
beefy1903
onkus1910
quies1919
cushty1929
high-powered1969
not shabby1975
OE Riddle 80 10 Good is min wise ond ic sylfa salo.
OE tr. Defensor Liber Scintillarum (1969) lxxvii. 395 Disciplina custos spei, receptaculum fidei, dux itineris salutaris, fomentum ac negotium bonę indolis, magistra uirtutis, facit in christo manere semper : lar hyrde hopan onfangennyss geleafan heretoga siþfætes halbæres tyndre and ceap godes cynnes lærestre mægenes deð on criste wunian symle.
OE Form of Confession (Royal 2 B.v) in Studier i Modern Språkvetenskap (1968) 3 101 Nu ic þe bidde, min drihten, þæt þu me selle god ingehyd & gemynd [altered from selle in gemind] þæt ic gelyfe on ðe.
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 6 (MED) Þou ne sselt zuerie uor naȝt and wyþ-oute guode scele.
1438–9 in J. Raine Corr., Inventories, Acct. Rolls, & Law Proc. Priory of Coldingham (1841) 109 I recomaund me to ȝowr gude faderhod & gude Lordship schawit to me at all tymys.
1454 in F. J. Furnivall Fifty Earliest Eng. Wills (1882) 133 (MED) As tochyng my brother..y can not assigne no thyng of my good recompensible to his good brotherhede.
1517 R. Fox tr. St. Benedict Rule xxxi. sig. D.vi The Selleresse of the monastery muste be chosen oon of the couent, wyse, rype in goode maners, sobre, no great eter,..not prodigall.
1526 Eltham Ordinances in Coll. Ordinances Royal Househ. (1790) 146 None other to be admitted into any roome, office, or place, within the King's said household..but such as be of good towardnesse, likelyhood, behaviour, demeanour, and conversation.
1532 L. Cox Art or Crafte Rhetoryke sig. E.viiiv He may by these meanes seme rather worthy to be auauticed in honour for his good qualities, than to be punished for his fall.
a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) i. i. 135 An enuious emulator of euery mans good parts. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare All's Well that ends Well (1623) iii. vi. 12 Hee's a most notable Coward,..the owner of no one good qualitie, worthy your Lordships entertainment. View more context for this quotation
1754 Capt. Cope New Hist. East-Indies xxiii. 367 Had my Lord Falcon..had Courage answerable to his other good Qualities, he had certainly been honoured with the Diadem in Siam.
1768 H. Brooke Fool of Quality III. xvi. 232 He pressed us so earnestly to dinner that we could not, in good manners, refuse him.
a1817 J. Austen Persuasion (1818) IV. iv. 69 Good company requires only birth, education and manners, and with regard to education is not very nice. Birth and good manners are essential.
a1817 T. Dwight Trav. New-Eng. & N.-Y. (1821) I. 243 At this meeting the inhabitants choose, not exceeding seven men, inhabitants, able, discreet and of good conversation.
1865 H. W. Wheelwright Bush Wanderings of Naturalist (new ed.) xvi. 261 But they have also many good attributes, which might shame the white man.
1891 R. Routledge Discov. & Inventions 19th Cent. (ed. 8) 46 The cheapness of production and good qualities of the steel, or steely iron, which the Bessemer process supplies, has caused this metal to be now used for very many purposes to which, a few years ago, iron only was applied.
1944 K. Amis Let. 25 Nov. (2000) 14 One of the good things about Oxford is that its vessels of corruption are always being replenished.
1979 E. Lovelace Dragon can't Dance xvii. 225 So all all-you could depend on to take you through this world is God, and good manners.
1995 New Scientist 29 Apr. 92/2 Psychologists have long been aware of the so-called ‘halo’ effect whereby physically attractive people are assumed by the rest of us to have countless other good qualities.
b. Of a person's name, reputation, etc.: that commands respect or is a source of prestige; honourable, worthy, esteemed.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > reputation > good repute > [adjective]
goodOE
OE tr. Chrodegang of Metz Regula Canonicorum (Corpus Cambr. 191) xlv. 259 Hit gedafnað þæt mynstres ealdras..swa godes hlisan broðor [L. boni testimonii fratres] geceosan on þam hi mægen þa byrðena hyra recedomes todælan.
lOE Distichs of Cato (Trin. Cambr.) lv, in Anglia (1972) 90 12 Gif ðu wille godne hlisan habban, ne fægna ðu nanes yfeles.
c1300 St. Edmund Rich (Laud) 391 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 442 So wide sprong is guode los..Þat men ne hulden nouȝt in engelonde of guodnesse is per.
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Prov. xxii. 1 Betere is a good name, than manye richessis.
a1400 Prov. Wisdom (Bodl.) 6 in Anglia (1927) 51 221 (MED) Wele is hym þat haþe a good name.
1484 in J. Raine Vol. Eng. Misc. N. Counties Eng. (1890) 41 Forto restore hym into his gude name and fame.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII f. xxvv Men of good estimacion.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) iii. iii. 160 Good name in man and woman's..Is the immediate Iewell of our soules.
1680 J. Speed Batt upon Batt 9 A Matron of so good Renown.
1703 G. Farquhar Twin-rivals v. 63 She had a very good Repute all over the Parish, and might have married very handsomely.
1727 J. Gay Fox Dying in Fables 99 A lost good-name is ne'er retriev'd.
1819 P. B. Shelley Cenci v. ii. 85 You have a good repute for gentleness.
1847 R. W. Emerson Poems 111 Estate, good fame, Plans, credit.
1896 M. Beerbohm Happy Hypocrite in Yellow Bk. Oct. 12 An aristocrat should be very careful of his good name.
1946 Fortune Aug. 108/1 Many new, inexperienced packers have been taking advantage of the seller's market to rush in with inferior merchandise, causing..much alarm for the industry's good repute.
1996 N. Maraire Zenzele ii. 15 Must I now bear the curse of hearing our good name dragged through the mud, to hear our name in every gossip's mouth?
2010 Grocer Feb. 28/4 New Zealand wine-growers have built up a good reputation.
c. Of a person's birth, family, or social background: conferring elevated or distinguished social status; belonging to a high social class; socially privileged.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > social class > nobility > aristocracy or upper class > [adjective] > having good social position
goodOE
conditioned1632
visitable1765
swell1810
well-placed1814
silver-tail1898
quite1907
OE Vercelli Homilies (1992) xviii. 291 Wæs he for worulde swiðe godre gebyrde.
OE Blickling Homilies 211 Wæs he for worlde swiþe æþelra gebyrda & godra [OE Junius 86 godra gebyrda & æðelra].
1547 W. Baldwin Treat. Morall Phylos. i. xvi. sig. E.i Anaxagoras was an excedyng well learned man, and came of a good stocke.
1578 T. Nicholas tr. F. López de Gómara Conquest Weast India 1 They were bothe of good byrth, and proceeded of foure principall houses.
1636 tr. J. Desmarets de Saint-Sorlin Ariana i. v. 90 The more practice I had with her, the more I observ'd qualities in her, that could not proceed but from a good birth.
1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 1 I was born in the Year 1632..of a good Family.
1725 E. Haywood tr. P. de Boisguillebert Mary Stuart iii. 220 He being a young Gentleman of good Birth, rich, ripe-witted, and learned.
1805 J. Sibley in Deb. Congr. U.S. (1852) II. App. 1081 Some of the women who had been servants in good families..married maitiffs of the country.
1871 ‘G. Eliot’ Middlemarch (1872) I. i. i. 2 The Brooke connections, though not exactly aristocratic, were unquestionably ‘good’.
1901 V. Webb One Amer. Girl v. 62 He was tolerated in the best society, as there could be no mistaking his good ancestry.
1919 Outing Mar. 314/2 Men of good stock and character.
1997 S. E. Parry in S. A. Inness Nancy Drew & Company viii. 146 Nancy sometimes helps people from other classes,..but most often the people she helps are from a ‘good’ background, even if they are not rich.
2005 T. Hall Salaam Brick Lane vi. 131 She's really gorgeous and educated and from a good family. He wants to marry her. The problem is he's living on benefit and he's as thick as shit.
d. Used by or associated with people of wealth or high social status; enhancing the social prestige or respectability of residents, members, etc.
ΚΠ
1766 O. Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield I. i. 2 We had an elegant house, situated in a fine country, and a good neighbourhood.
1843 T. S. Fay Hoboken II. xviii. 100 It is in a good neighbourhood, at all events! Bond-street is a term in the language for splendour and fashion.
1892 G. Grossmith & W. Grossmith Diary of Nobody xxiii. 287 Lupin..has taken furnished apartments at Bayswater... Lupin says one never loses by a good address.
1942 D. Powell Time to be Born (1943) x. 227 West Thirteenth?.. Are you sure that's a good neighbourhood?
1956 J. D. Carr Patrick Butler for Def. vi. 61 Monnie wanted Jim..to be elected to a ‘good’ club and join a ‘good’ golf-club where he might find useful contacts.
1974 J. Betjeman Nip in Air 44 And this new flat is such a good address.
2005 D. Daley-Clarke Lazy Eye 93 Rockfeller buy 'imself a house in a good area, surrounded by shut-mouth white people.
6.
a. With reference to a person's (or occasionally animal's) physical, psychological, or mental condition.
(a) Of a person's health, mood, or disposition: in excellent, sound, or robust condition; spec. (a) (of a person's courage, spirit, etc.) undaunted, undismayed; (b) (of a person's morale) not depressed or low. Frequently in in good health, in good heart, in good spirits, etc.good cheer: see cheer n.1 Phrases 4.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pleasure > cheerfulness > [adjective] > specifically of state of spirits or mind
goodOE
in heart1579
mooth1782
OE tr. Alexander's Let. to Aristotle (1995) §19. 236 Ða bæd ic þa fyrde hwæþre þæt hie hæfdon god ellen þara þinga þe us on becwomon.
OE tr. Medicina de Quadrupedibus (Vitell.) iv. 248 Wið earena sare, genim foxes gelynde gemylted, drype on þa earan, him cymð god hæl [L. mire sanat].
c1330 (?a1300) Kyng Alisaunder (Auch.) (1952) l. 45 (MED) King Alisaunder, þei him were wo, He tok him gode hert to.
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) I. v. i. 168 A membre þat is in good hele.
c1450 (c1430) Brut (Galba) (1908) 439 God sent hem good hele and welfare and Scomfiture of all her enemyes.
a1535 T. More Treat. Memorare Nouissima in Wks. (1557) I. 80/1 Ye would recken your belly not in good quart.
1576 A. Fleming tr. Hippocrates in Panoplie Epist. 276 I hearing this noyse, exhorted them to have good hearts.
1600 L. Lewkenor tr. A. de Torquemada Spanish Mandeuile f. 66v He..bad him be of good courage, and shake off that dismaiment.
1614 T. Wilson Comm. Epist. S. Paul to Romanes 953 He ouercommeth this feare, and is in good heart.
1698 J. Floyer Treat. Asthma iii. 123 The sign of the Breeding of a Tuberculum, is when any one in good Health begins to breath short, and as that encreases a Stertor is observ'd in Breathing.
1711 R. Steele Spectator No. 96. ⁋2 Tom, Tom have a good Heart.
1782 F. Burney Cecilia V. ix. i. 13 Lady Margaret herself, exhilarated by a notion of having outwitted her husband, was in unusual good spirits, and almost in good humour.
1792 W. Cowper Let. 29 July (1984) IV. 161 Mary..is in pretty good plight this morning, having slept well.
1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. xviii. 119 The health of the crews had..been..wonderfully good.
1865 J. W. Carlyle Let. Feb. in Lett. & Memorials (1894) III. 244 I don't feel in such good heart about the Devonshire visit as I did.
1926 A. Conan Doyle Land of Mist xiv. 244 I must go, for I have much to do... But be of good heart, young man.
1985 M. Palin Diary 6 Sept. in Halfway to Hollywood (2009) 376 Sleep well and wake in good spirits to a bright, cloudless sky.
2005 J. M. Coetzee Slow Man ix. 63 She is prepared, if she can, and if he will permit it, to transmit to him through her fingertips a fair quantum of her own ruddy good health.
†(b) Of a person's mind or mental faculties: in a normal or sound condition; such that one can think and act competently. Cf. right adj. 8a. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > mental health > [adjective] > of the mind
rightOE
wholeOE
good1404
sound1531
static1652
spacked1673
unobscured1748
valid1854
1404 in J. Raine Testamenta Eboracensia (1865) III. 26 (MED) Y William Heron, of hole & goode mynde, ythanked be God, praie humblie and entierly to my dere frendes and executors, [etc.].
1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende f. clxxxxvii/2 Many vexyd by spyrytes were delyuerd & remysed in to theyr good mynde.
1583 C. Hollyband Campo di Fior 243 Now he is not in his good minde.
1617 J. Maxwell New Eight-fold Probation Church of Englands Divine Constit. 39 Me thinkes no man that is in his good wits will deny, but that often repairing to the holy house of the most holy God..is a more direct meanes to attaine vnto holines, then seldome repairing.
1675 R. Baxter Treat. Self-Denial lxvi. 370 We are giddy and uncertain, and if we are in a good mind to day, are in danger of being in a bad to morrow.
(c) Of a part of the body of a person or animal: in excellent condition; healthy, strong; able to function properly. Later also in extended use, of a man-made object, machine, etc.: in working condition or order; fit for purpose.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > [adjective] > of health: good > healthy
wholeeOE
isoundOE
i-sundfulc1000
ferec1175
soundc1175
fish-wholea1225
forthlyc1230
steadfasta1300
wella1300
safec1300
tidya1325
halec1330
quartc1330
well-faringc1330
well-tempered1340
well-disposeda1398
wealyc1400
furnished1473
mighty?a1475
quartful?c1475
good1527
wholesomea1533
crank1548
healthful1550
healthy1552
hearty1552
healthsome1563
well-affected?1563
disposed1575
as sound as a bell1576
firm1577
well-conditioned1580
sound1605
unvaletudinary1650
all right1652
valid1652
as sound as a (alsoany) roach1655
fair-like1663
hoddy1664
wanton1674
stout?1697
trig1704
well-hained1722
sprack1747
caller1754
sane1755
finely1763
bobbish1780
cleverly1784
right1787
smart1788
fine1791
eucratic1795
nobbling1825
as right as a trivet1835
first rate1841
in fine, good, high, etc., feather1844
gay1855
sprackish1882
game ball1905
abled1946
well-toned1952
a hundred per cent1960
oke1960
1527 L. Andrewe tr. H. Brunschwig Vertuose Boke Distyllacyon sig. I.viv/1 In the mornyng and at nyght dronke of the same water at eche tyme an ounce and a halfe, cawseth a good stomake.
1550 T. Phaer tr. J. Goeurot Regiment of Life (rev. ed.) sig. Q.iiii Yf the paciente be younge, and stronge hauyng a good stomake,..he maye drynke a good draughte or twoo of cleare and colde water.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry V (1623) v. ii. 160 A good Legge will fall. View more context for this quotation
1703 M. Martin Descr. W. Islands Scotl. 195 She had then a comely head of hair, and a case of good teeth.
1763 R. Brookes New Syst. Nat. Hist. I. i. 8 Those [Horses] of Bretagne are pretty strong made..and they have good legs and feet, with a hardy mouth.
1829 Nat. Philos. (Libr. Useful Knowl.) I. Optics 45/2 If the good eye is shut, and the bad one forced to exert itself..the squint formerly seen in the eye will disappear.
1891 Indicator Mar. 116/1 Humphreys received an injury, which in the course of time, resulted in the loss of his remaining good eye.
1899 Locomotive Firemen's Mag. May 560/1 I would put a block on top of link block on the broken side, long enough to carry that link at about the same height as the ‘good one.’
1901 G. B. Grinnell Amer. Duck Shooting ii. 451 [He] soon returns, the drake in his strong jaws, its good wing beating against his nose.
1960 Los Angeles Times 14 Aug. tw2 When you start to slide—slide. He who changes his mind may exchange a good leg for a broken one.
1967 G. Hadley Introd. Probability & Statist. Decision Theory v. 266 The probabilities of drawing two defective transistors and one defective and one good transistor are, respectively, [etc.].
1985 G. Greene Tenth Man vii. 14/1 in Mail on Sunday 3 Mar. The uppers of his shoes were still good, but the soles were nearly paper thin.
2005 New Yorker 13 June 87/1 He tries to spatula me overboard with his one good arm, but I limbo under his cast.
(d) colloquial (originally U.S.). Of a person: in good health or spirits; well. Only in predicative use, or as a complement; originally and chiefly in to feel good.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pleasure > cheerfulness > be cheerful [verb (intransitive)]
to be of (good) comfortc1320
risea1400
to feel good1821
to have one's tail up1853
1821 J. Howison Sketches Upper Canada xvi. 294 I like tea, it makes me feel good.
1839 F. Marryat Diary in Amer. II. Remarks 224 I have heard a lady say, ‘I don't feel at all good, this morning.’
1883 E. W. Nye Baled Hay 88 They was just frolicky and gay because they felt good.
1921 L. Robinson Whiteheaded Boy i. 23 George. I didn't see you, Aunt Ellen. How are you. Aunt Ellen. I'm good, thanks. You're looking well.
1934 T. Wood Cobbers iii. 27 He said he was good, which means his health was.
1973 D. Potter Hide & Seek 124 He felt good, and in control, free of depression and nourishingly busy in his mind.
2006 J. L. Holm Penny from Heaven vi. 67 ‘How's your mother?’ she asks. She and my mom went to school together. ‘She's good, thanks.’
2011 Vanity Fair Nov. 166/2 We want to feel good and we want to have nice things.
b. gen. Of the state, condition, or order of something: of a sufficiently high standard or quality that the object or entity referred to may function properly or be used for its intended purpose. Frequently in in good condition, in good order, etc.
ΚΠ
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) i. l. 2764 (MED) Whanne I wot hire good astat..Non other sorwe mai me dere.
c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 105 The secund nedefull thing [in battle] is gude reugle and gude ordynaunce.
a1535 T. More Hist. Richard III in Wks. (1557) 66/1 He woold doe his vttermost deuor to set the realm in good state.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VI f. cvj Sir Jhon Fastolfe and his companions, set all their company in good ordre of battaill.
1604 R. Cawdrey Table Alphabet. Structure, building, setting in good order.
1653 in J. D. Marwick Extracts Rec. Burgh Glasgow (1881) II. 265 The towne..to put the said mylne in a guid frame.
1704 J. Harris Lexicon Technicum I Purser, an Officer in a King's Ship, who receives her Victuals from the Victualler, and is to take care that it be in good Condition.
1754 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. 23 June (1967) III. 55 The ceiling and Flooring are in good repair.
1813 Farmer Mag. May 252 The fine weather we had through March..has been extremely favourable for the fallow lands, which are now in a good state.
1881 Times 13 May 2/5 (advt.) Wanted, to purchase, in good condition, a self-propelling wheel-chair.
1944 H. Kerwin Arc & Acetylene Welding ii. 6 Keep all pop-off valves on the [carbide] generator in good working order.
2008 Dunoon Observer & Argyllshire Standard 1 Aug. 16/1 (advt.) Buggy Board,..suit large buggy or pram, good condition.
7. Of a state of affairs, a purpose, a proposed course of action, etc.: desirable, proper, fitting; (later also) effective.
a. Predicative, with non-referential it as subject and infinitive or that-clause as complement.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > dueness or propriety > [adjective]
goodOE
proper?c1225
felea1250
featc1325
seeming1338
rightful1340
thriftyc1386
sittingc1390
duea1393
truea1398
goodly1398
convenienta1400
wella1400
seemc1400
likelyc1425
fitc1440
tallc1440
befalling1542
fittinga1616
OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Mark vii. 27 Non est enim bonum sumere panem filiorum et mittere canibus : ne is forðon god to onfoanne hlaf ðara suno & senda hundum.
OE Blickling Homilies 139 Hu good is & hu wynsum þæt mon eardige on ðara gebroðra annesse.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 4790 Þar of es god we ta consail.
c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Melibeus (Hengwrt) (2003) §136 It is nat good to be a man allone.
a1475 J. Fortescue Governance of Eng. (Laud) (1885) 138 Sithen it were god thai hade non harnes.
1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. ccxiii. f. cviii/2 I thynke it were good, that the trewce were relonged vnto the fest of saynt John Baptist next folowynge.
1590 R. Harvey Plaine Percevall sig. B3v Yt were good to keepe such a Cur in awe.
1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum §14 For handsomnesse sake..it were good you hang the vpper Glasse vpon a Naile.
a1677 I. Barrow Several Serm. Evil-speaking (1678) ix. 105 It is good to be very staunch and cautious of talking about other Men, and their Concernments.
1791 J. Boswell Life Johnson anno 1776 II. 16 [Johnson:] It is good to preserve in a country, serieses of men, to whom the people are accustomed to look up as to their leaders.
1831 T. Arnold Let. 11 June in A. P. Stanley Life & Corr. T. Arnold (1844) I. vi. 270 I know it is good to have these sobering reminders.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. i. 47 It was..good that they should be respected and obeyed.
1870 F. M. Müller Sci. Relig. (1873) 62 The inhabitants of Great Britain were persuaded that it was not good to be without an ancestor.
1910 J. Runcie Idylls by Two Oceans 102 It is good to remember in this sunny home of Dutch and English and Kafir the wonderful green of Europe.
1957 Charleston (W. Va.) Gaz. 19 Apr. 8/7 Jimmie..retorted that it was good to have a union man in the White House.
1998 S. Stewart Learning Together i. 6 We all know about these problems and have ideas to share, I think it is good to do it this way.
2003 M. Ali Brick Lane i. 12 Abba, it is good that you have chosen my husband. I hope I can be a good wife, like Amma.
b. As the complement of a verb.
(a) In impersonal constructions and (now chiefly) with non-referential it as subject and that-clause or infinitive as complement, as to seem (also appear) good, †to like good (cf. like v.1), †to think good (cf. think v.1).
ΚΠ
OE Wærferð tr. Gregory Dialogues (Corpus Cambr.) (1900) iv. iv. 266 Me is þus geþuht god [L. mihi uisum est bonum], þæt gehwilc man ete & drince & bruce þære blisse of his agnum weorce & gewinne.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 5030 Ȝiff himm þinnkeþþ god. he maȝȝ Þe ȝifenn he[o]ffness blisse.
c1390 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vernon) (1867) A. i. 57 Glosynge þe Gospel as hem good likeþ.
1483 ( tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage of Soul (Caxton) iv. v. f. lxv That other shalle answere as hyr semeth good.
c1500 Melusine (1895) 108 Madame, yf it lyke you good they doo soo, I assent gladly therto.
1549 Bk. Common Prayer (STC 16267) Confirmacion f. ix* It is thought good that none hereafter shall be confirmed, but suche [etc.].
1632 J. Hayward tr. G. F. Biondi Eromena 95 To charge the enemie by land..if it seemed good to her Highnesse so to doe.
1655 T. Fuller Church-hist. Brit. x. 41 It seemed good..to his Holinesse, not to canonize Garnet..but onely to beatificate him.
1793 E. Burke Let. 6 Nov. in Corr. (1963) VII. 473 It has not yet appeared good to the Politicks of Ministers here or abroad to permit [etc.].
1809 T. E. Tomlins Jacob's Law-dict. at Bankrupt The Lord Chancellor grants a commission to such discreet persons as to him shall seem good, who are then styled commissioners of bankrupt.
1881 T. W. Fowle Poor Law iv. 86 Paupers who, as they must be maintained somehow, it was thought good should be set to work.
1909 Westm. Gaz. 8 Apr. 3/1 A [golf] championship has never once been played in the West of England—and..it seemed good to the delegates to form a sub-committee..to look into the causes.
2010 P. Fisk In the Trees 237 I went to the government, and I put it to them that they should allow us to settle on this land. And it seemed good to the government too. They allowed me a thousand acres.
(b) With personal subject and implied or expressed object, as to think (also consider, †see, etc.) good. Now usually with non-referential it as object and that-clause or infinitive as complement. Cf. fit adj. 2b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > order > agreement, harmony, or congruity > suitability or appropriateness > [adjective] > fitting or proper
methelyeOE
ylikeeOE
fairOE
i-meteOE
rightOE
becomelyc1175
proper?c1225
featc1325
conablea1340
rightful1340
worthyc1350
pursuanda1375
covenable1382
dignec1385
convenablec1386
thriftyc1386
sittingc1390
comenablea1400
gainlya1400
meeta1400
wortha1400
convenientc1400
meetlya1425
suinga1425
fitc1440
tallc1440
worthyc1450
good1477
dueful?a1527
beseeminga1530
fitting1535
straighta1538
decent1539
answerable1542
becoming1565
condecent1575
becomed1599
respective1605
befittinga1612
comely1617
decorous1664
shape-like1672
beseemly1737
farrantly?1748
fitly1840
in order1850
1477 Earl Rivers tr. Dictes or Sayengis Philosophhres (Caxton) (1877) lf. 66 Som thinke it goode, that euery body were of like condicion.
1573 J. Sanford tr. L. Guicciardini Hours Recreat. (1576) 76 Kill, if you thinke good, all the dogges that are here.
1663 S. Butler Hudibras: First Pt. i. iii. 184 Others may doe as they see good.
c1680 W. Beveridge Serm. (1729) I. 112 Thus much I thought good to premise.
1762 L. Sterne Life Tristram Shandy VI. viii. 38 He left Dendermond to itself,—to be relieved or not by the French king, as the French king thought good.
1837 T. Carlyle French Revol. II. ii. vi. 135 Necker, sees good..to withdraw softly, almost privily.
1891 ‘B. Roy’ Guy Mervyn II. xxi. 47 Elaine considered it good that they should meet. Guy was ready to trust her judgment.
1957 J. F. Huntington tr. Sièyes Declar. Rights of Man in tr. B. de Jouvenel Sovereignty 257 Every citizen is equally free to use his muscles, his industry and his capital resources in the way he thinks good and useful for himself.
1996 W. D. Taylor in E. A. Nuñez & W. D. Taylor Crisis & Hope in Lat. Amer. (rev. ed.) v. 209 Many [women] thought it good that the man have experience in sexual behavior before marriage.
c. attributive
ΚΠ
?a1425 tr. Catherine of Siena Orcherd of Syon (Harl.) (1966) 130 Sich a creature..may wiþ sich good vse of his tyme-spendynge come fro þe dreede of bondage vnto þe drede of fredom.
a1535 T. More Hist. Richard III in Wks. (1557) 42/1 All whiche thinge..were done for good purposes and necessari.
1625 F. Bacon Ess. (new ed.) 263 For Inbowed Windowes, I hold them of good Vse.
1633 J. Randal Noble Blastus 32 What marvell if our corne faile us, when wee faile God in the good employment of our corne?
1693 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 17 903 Even in this state the Air-bladders are not fully evacuated, but contain Air for good purposes.
1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones I. i. viii. 43 This [hole in her brother's study door] served to many good Purposes. View more context for this quotation
1783 tr. J.-J. Rousseau Confessions I. iv. 211 I had occasion enough to renew myself [Fr. me refaire]; I had the opportunity, and made good use of it.
1824 J. Johnson Typographia II. 22 The kerning of letters, it must be owned, may serve many good purposes.
1901 E. Arnold Voy. Ithobal iii. 101 Life is a brittle loan, Who makes good usance of it doeth well.
1935 C. Brooks Jrnl. 4 Oct. (1998) 129 That's right, make good use of it while you've got it.
1991 J. Taylor Forever Ecstasy ii. 46 It seemed a good way to explain my presence in this secluded area.
2005 Femina (S. Afr.) Feb. 60/1 She has put her intellect to good use in the corridors of power, where she has been making a hell of a racket since becoming an opposition MP in 1999.
8.
a. With for (also †to) or an infinitive. Able to be put to some proposed end or use; suitable or fit for a particular purpose; useful.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > advantage > efficacy > [adjective]
frameeOE
goodeOE
mightyOE
vailanta1325
sicker1338
mightful1340
suffisant1340
virtuousa1387
effectivea1398
effectuala1398
worthya1398
availingc1420
effectuous?a1425
operant?a1425
substantialc1449
virtual?a1475
substantious1483
available1502
efficacious1528
energial1528
working1532
operatory1551
operatoriousa1555
stately1567
feckful1568
efficace?1572
shifty1585
operative1590
instrumental1601
efficable1607
speeding1612
effectuating1615
officious1618
availsome1619
prevailable1624
valid1651
perficient1659
affectuous1664
implemental1676
virtual1760
efficient1787
sufficient1831
slick1833
roadworthy1837
practician1863
positive1903
performant1977
the world > relative properties > order > agreement, harmony, or congruity > suitability or appropriateness > [adjective]
goodeOE
rightOE
queemlOE
belonglOE
behovingc1175
limplyc1200
tidefula1300
avenantc1300
mackc1330
worthy1340
hemea1350
convenientc1374
seemlya1375
shapelyc1374
ablea1382
cordant1382
meetc1385
accordable1386
accordinga1387
appurtenantc1386
pertinentc1390
accordanta1393
likea1393
setea1400
throa1400
agreeablec1425
habilec1425
suitly1426
competentc1430
suiting1431
fitc1440
proportionablec1443
justc1450
congruent?a1475
cordinga1475
congruec1475
afferant1480
belonging1483
cordable1485
hovable1508
attainanta1513
accommodate1525
agreeing1533
respondent1533
opportunate?1541
appropriate1544
commode1549
familiar1553
apt1563
pliant1565
liable1570
sortly1570
competible1586
sortable1586
fitty1589
accommodable1592
congruable1603
affining1606
feated1606
suity1607
reputable1611
suited1613
idoneousa1615
matchable1614
suitablea1616
congruous1631
fitten1642
responsal1647
appropriated1651
adapt1658
mack-like1672
squared1698
homogeneous1708
applicable1711
unforeign1718
fitted1736
congenial1738
assorted1790
accommodatable1874
OK1925
the world > action or operation > advantage > usefulness > [adjective]
bricheeOE
behovelyc950
bihevec975
nutOE
behovingc1175
behovesomec1330
noteful1372
helpfulc1384
serviceablea1393
nait?a1425
meet?a1439
steadable1467
opportunea1475
utile?1483
of service1559
good1577
deservient1578
steadful1585
useful1596
servient1606
handy1616
utible1623
utilious1652
lucky1703
functional1808
utility1895
eufunctional1963
eOE Bald's Leechbk. (Royal) (1865) i. xxxviii. 92 Grundeswelge þa ðe weaxað on worþigum, sio biþ god to dolhsealfe.
OE Cynewulf Juliana 102 He is to freonde god.
a1398 J. Trevisa tr. Bartholomaeus Anglicus De Proprietatibus Rerum (BL Add. 27944) (1975) II. xviii. iv. 1115 Þe fleissh is good to mete, and þe felle to dyuerse vse.
1484 W. Caxton tr. Subtyl Historyes & Fables Esope iv. f. cxxxviiv What are thoos that folowe the, & wherto ben they good.
1551 W. Turner New Herball sig. F vv The same [birch] is good to make hoopis of.
1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry i. f. 29v The roote of it is good for nothing.
1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene i. i. sig. A4 The Aspine good for staues.
1599 H. Buttes Dyets Dry Dinner sig. C4v The juyce is good sauce to provoke appetite.
1617 F. Moryson Itinerary ii. 101 Like a Quince, requiring great cost ere it be good to eat.
1663 S. Tuke Adventures of Five Hours i. 2 No Wash is good For stains of Honor, but th' Offenders blood.
1700 T. Brown Amusem. Serious & Comical vi. 70 What are they good for else but Hanging, or Starving.
1773 R. Nicholas Let. 15 Oct. in F. Mason John Norton & Sons (1968) 355 The few Bushels of Eggshell Wheat imported last Spring proved good for Nothing.
1805 R. Parkinson Tour in Amer. ii. xxiv. 414 The land..never was good for anything, except for these crops, and a crop of wheat, rye, or oats, after them: after which some of it was never worth cropping again.
1887 Laws of Life Dec. 363/1 That was my lowest light; all it was ever good for was to get a brighter light with.
1913 W. Cather O Pioneers! i. ii. 27 Try to break a little more land every year; sod corn is good for fodder.
1956 W. Golding Pincher Martin ix. 133 It would have been fun playing opposite Jane. That wench was good for a tumble.
1976 W. Katiyo Son of Soil ii. 27 Only one ox was good to plough with. He would need to break the second one.
2012 New Yorker 23 July 57/2 The Antonovs..were good for aerial surveillance, but as bombers they were dismal.
b. Efficacious as a remedy. Usually with for, (less commonly) against, †with.In some cases overlapping with sense A. 20, with the remedy viewed in terms not of its efficacy but of its beneficial effects.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > [adjective] > useful as treatment
goodeOE
eOE Bald's Leechbk. (Royal) (1865) i. ii. 26 Þis bið god læcedom wiþ eagna dimnesse.
OE Lapidary 14 Sum stan is þe mocritum hatte..& he is..wið dricræftum god.
a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 187 Þis is a medicyn þat..is good for tineam & vlcera þat ben harde in þe heed.
1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry i. f. 12 Beside, the pargetting or seeling, is a good safetie against fyre.
1599 H. Buttes Dyets Dry Dinner sig. C2v Their smell is wondrous good in cordiaque passions.
1599 H. Buttes Dyets Dry Dinner sig. Fijb Good against the paulsie and quivering of the joints.
1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum §767 The Water of Nilus..is excellent Good for the Stone.
1651 R. Wittie tr. J. Primrose Pop. Errours iii. 158 Broth made of an old cock..is good for long feavers, sighings [etc.].
1711 R. Steele Spectator No. 156. ⁋1 A Woman's Man..is not at a loss what is good for a Cold.
1744 G. Berkeley Siris (ESTC T72826) §9 Tar was by the ancients esteemed good against poisons.
1802 T. Beddoes Hygëia I. 14 Marianne..has been hacking all the afternoon. Do tell her of some little thing that is good against a cough.
1883 J. Gilmour Among Mongols xxiii. 280 A Mongol..asked in an earnest whisper if I had any medicine good for wounds.
1908 Smart Set Sept. 82/1 Buttermilk is good for it... Warranted to cure in thirty days or money refunded.
1955 G. Grigson Englishman's Flora 151 It was good against malaria, the leaves of four shoots against quartan malaria, of three against the tertian, of one against the quotidian.
2003 N.Y. Mag. 20 Jan. 38/1 Myofascial release, a manipulation of the connective tissue, which is particularly good for chronic pain.
†c. In predicative use with to infinitive: easy. Cf. evil adj. 4b. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > easiness > [adjective] > easy to do or accomplish
eathlyc1000
lightOE
eathc1175
easyc1380
facile1484
good1490
easy (also simple, etc.) as pie1890
untroublesome1894
potty1899
sitting1932
cake1968
slow-pitch1981
renable1995
1490 W. Caxton tr. Foure Sonnes of Aymon (1885) ix. 224 The foure sones of Aymon were good to knowe by thother.
1490 W. Caxton tr. Foure Sonnes of Aymon (1885) iii. 95 Traitours ben good to overcom; they shall not now endure longe agaynst vs.
1511 H. Watson tr. Noble Hist. King Ponthus (new ed.) sig. N.iiiv It were good to entre in to the countre by nyght for the mone shyneth.
9.
a. Of an action: conforming to the needs and requirements of the situation; sufficient in every respect, fully adequate to the purpose; thorough; complete, utter. Cf. right adj. 13e.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > care, carefulness, or attention > [adjective] > thorough or exhaustive
goodeOE
thorough1566
exhaustive1786
ingoing1928
eOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Parker) anno 877 H[i]e him þær foregislas saldon..& micle aþas sworon & þa godne friþ heoldon.
OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 2nd Ser. (Cambr. Gg.3.28) xxxviii. 322 Ge agyfað hi eft Gode mid ðam gafole, gif hi beoð þurh eower gecnyrdnysse gemenigfylde, and ðurh goddre fremminge Gode betæhte.
a1350 Sayings St. Bernard (Harl. 2253) in F. J. Furnivall Minor Poems Vernon MS (1901) ii. 514 Ȝef thou nymest wel god keep, Ne fyndest þou non so fyl dung-heep, Ant þou loke a-boute.
?a1475 Ludus Coventriae (1922) 152 Ȝe mynstrell of myrth, blowe up a good blast.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Edward IV f. ccxlv The which desyre, if the Fleminges had but geuen good care to.
1584 R. Scot Discouerie Witchcraft x. i. 177 The Prophet giueth vs good warning.
1595 L. Lewkenor Estate Eng. Fugitives sig. Riv Like wel disciplined souldiours that keepe still good and warie watch, though they be neuer so farre from the enemie.
1617 F. Moryson Itinerary ii. 66 [He] made a very good stand.
1617 F. Moryson Itinerary ii. 156 So that except they steale their passage (which I feare most) I make no doubt but my Lord President will giue a very good accompt of them.
1639 T. B. tr. J.-P. Camus Certain Moral Relations in S. Du Verger tr. J.-P. Camus Admirable Events 356 Who did them good and speedy justice.
1726 J. Swift Gulliver II. iv. i. 9 I drew my Hanger, and gave him a good Blow with the flat Side of it.
1790 ‘P. Pindar’ Rowland to Oliver in Wks. (1794) II. 402 ‘I will privately attack him, under a fictitious signature;’—which he did indeed, and gave the audacious fellow many a good thump, in verse and prose.
1820 P. B. Shelley Œdipus Tyrannus i. 15 I have taken good care That shall not be.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. ii. 195 He admitted that the House..had done good service to the crown.
1878 S. Walpole Hist. Eng. I. 371 Society did not see anything either unseemly or unmanly in a man administering a good beating to his wife.
1909 E. Nesbit Daphne in Fitzroy St. ix. 122 The dreadful neatness that follows a ‘good tidy-up’.
1972 J. Speight Till Death us do Part: Scripts (1973) 37 What they want is a good thumping. Like we gave 'em in the old days.
2003 C. Birch Turn again Home xxix. 313 She got up in the middle of the night and had a good look round to see what else was missing or out of place.
b. Of a belief, conviction, etc.: resolutely and sincerely held or applied; firm, steadfast. Frequently in adverbial phrases with in, as in good faith. Cf. good faith n.in good earnest, in good sadness, in good sooth, in good truth: see the nouns.
ΚΠ
OE Homily: Ammonitio Amici (Ashm. 328) in A. S. Napier Wulfstan (1883) 247 Hafa godne geleafan to þam soðan gode, forþan he sceal beon grundweall þines lifes.
lOE King Ælfred tr. St. Augustine Soliloquies (Vitell.) (1922) ii. 61 Þu dest eac swiðe rihte and swiðe gerisenlic[e] myd þy þæt þu swa gooda twreowa [read treowa] wit hi hefst.
a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 5 We sulen habben ure heorte and habben godne ileafe to ure drihten.
c1300 St. Lucy (Harl.) l. 43 in C. D'Evelyn & A. J. Mill S.-Eng. Legendary (1956) 567 Þi bileue þat is so god helpeþ þi moder iwis.
1531 W. Tyndale Answere Mores Dialoge f. xlix As if a man said, the boyes will was good to haue geuen his father a blowe.
1566 T. Becon New Postil i. f. 93 Should not this cause her to be ioyfull and of good trust in all her busynes?
1617 F. Moryson Itinerary ii. 203 Wee are in good hope they are all gone.
1649 W. Charleton tr. J. van Helmont Ternary of Paradoxes 70 High sacred, in good troth, is the power of the microcosmicall spirit.
1685 H. Gower Disc. deliver'd in Two Serm. 19 One would think this could not be intended for good earnest.
1769 H. Brooke Fool of Quality IV. xvii. 201 But I have still good Hopes that the Picture, which you have drawn of our Governors, is not altogether a just One.
1836 T. Gaspey Self-condemned iv. 25 Abate thy merriment now, kind Master Boyle, and tell me in good seriousness where my chain was found.
1843 North of Eng. Mag. Jan. 147 Instead of setting to work with good earnest, and enjoying what a good providence had given me, I must fall out with his blessings.
1938 R. K. Narayan Dark Room x. 175 You can see her, and take her in good trust and on our word.
2004 House & Garden Apr. 182/2 Considering my uncontrollable shopaholism..I cannot speak out in good faith against conspicuous consumption.
10.
a. Considerable in size, number, or degree; fairly large; (sometimes) spec. adequately or sufficiently ample or abundant; ample.
(a) Of general or indefinite expressions of size, amount, distance, or duration. Also occasionally giving intensive or approving force to a noun denoting a large or sufficient quantity. Cf. better adj. 5, best adj. 5.a good deal, a good few, a good many: see the nouns. See also a good ways at way n.1 and int.1 Phrases 3b(a).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > wish or inclination > wish or be disposed or inclined [verb] > strongly
goodeOE
to have a good (also great) minda1400
to have a gay mind1557
to have half a mind1726
the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > [adjective] > considerable in amount or degree
goodeOE
fairOE
goodlyc1275
largea1375
no littlea1413
substantial1413
unleast?1440
prettya1475
reasonablea1500
substantious1545
substantive1575
sensible1581
pretty and ——1596
goody1597
greatish1611
considerable1651
sonsy1721
respectable1736
smart1750
quite a little ——1763
gey1796
smartish1799
canny1805
serious1810
right smart1825
dunnamuch1831
snug1833
tidy1839
bonnyish1855
largish1872
a nice little ——1891
significant1898
healthy1901
beaucoup1917
the world > relative properties > quantity > sufficient quantity, amount, or degree > abundance > [adjective]
goodeOE
broadOE
fullOE
large?c1225
rifec1225
fulsomea1325
abundanta1382
plenteousa1382
copiousc1384
plentifula1400
ranka1400
aboundc1425
affluentc1425
aboundable?1440
seedy1440
manyfulc1450
ample1472
olda1500
richa1500
flowing1526
fertilent1535
wallingc1540
copy1546
abounding1560
fat1563
numbrous1566
good, great store1569
round1592
redundant1594
fruitful1604
cornucopian1609
much1609
plenty?a1610
pukka1619
redundant1621
uberant1622
swelling1628
uberous1633
numerousa1635
superfluent1648
full tide1649
lucky1649
redounding1667
numerose1692
bumper1836
prolific1890
proliferous1915
eOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Parker) anno 912 Him beag god dæl þæs folces to þe ær under deniscra manna anwalde wæron.
OE Dream of Rood 70 Hwæðere we ðær [g]reotende gode hwile stodon on staðole, syððan [stefn] up gewat hilderinca.
a1300 (c1275) Physiologus (1991) 271 Ne stereð ȝe noȝt of ðe stede a god stund deies.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Luke vi. 38 Thei schulen ȝyue in to ȝoure bosum a good mesure and wel fillid.
c1450 Med. Recipes (BL Add. 33996) in F. Heinrich Mittelengl. Medizinbuch (1896) 72 (MED) Let þe seke vse þer of..a good qwantite at ones.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) Acts ix. 23 After a good while.
1569 R. Grafton Chron. II. 22 These thinges were done a good space after.
1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry iv. f. 163 Beside, you must haue..good plentie of dust, wherein they may bathe and proyne them selues.
1662 J. Davies tr. A. Olearius Voy. & Trav. Ambassadors 36 The Sand-banks..reach out a good way into the Sea.
1687 A. Lovell tr. J. de Thévenot Trav. into Levant i. 34 To play and sing a good part of the day.
1717 G. Berkeley Jrnls. Trav. Italy 8 Jan. in Wks. (1955) VII. 246 A good number of Gentlemen Lay as well as Ecclesiastic.
1759 B. Martin Nat. Hist. Eng. II. Cardigan 364 There are a good Plenty both of River and Sea-fish.
1777 Universal Mag. Aug. 90/1 A sum which she supposed would last her a good part of the winter.
1829 Amer. Jrnl. Educ. 4 218 Certain persons..write with a good degree of propriety and even elegance, though they never learnt anything about the technics of grammar.
1877 Gardeners' Chron. 30 June 8/3 The planting must be during the rainy season, as it requires a good quantity of water.
1885 World 1 Sept. 11 A good number of deer have been shot during the last fortnight.
1926 Guild Mar. 93/2 The men provided the baskets containing supper for two, and the ladies bid for them... A good amount was raised.
1953 Boys' Life May 43/1 I believe that a good part of our improvement resulted from a study of Finnish javelin techniques.
1977 J. Pepper What Thing to Say 47 ‘Could you tell me when this bus leaves?’... ‘It used to be ten past but it has been ten till for a good while now.’
2009 Cathedral Music May 19/1 There is certainly evidence of a school here, perhaps even a good number of centuries before the Reformation.
(b) Of a thing (either material or abstract), assessed with regard to size or degree. to have a good mind to: see mind n.1
ΚΠ
OE Hist. Estates in Kent (Sawyer 1458) in A. Campbell Charters of Rochester (1973) 48 Þær wæs god eaca ten hundan mannan ðe þane að sealdan.
OE Ælfric Old Eng. Hexateuch: Gen. (Claud.) xv. 15 Þu soðlice forðfærst on sibbe, þonne ðin tima cymð on godre ylde [L. in senectute bona] to þinum ealdfæderum.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 510 Off illc an off alle þa. Comm an god flocc off prestess. Sprugenn [sic] off himm. strenedd þurrh himm.
c1300 Life & Martyrdom Thomas Becket (Harl. 2277) (1845) l. 69 (MED) Heo wende forth with wel god pas.
?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) (1996) ii. 3602 On godes enmys grim he gadres gode party.
c1485 Knutsson's Litill Bk. aȝenst Pestilence (new ed.) If a man wold slepe he must drinke a gode draught of ale or wyn befor.
1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry i. f. 1v Being nowe of good yeeres and sickely.
1592 Greenes Groats-worth of Witte sig. C3 Lucanio..had a good meaninge to vtter his minde.
1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 81 And hauing obtained a good force from the relieuing Turkes and Tartars, he easily aduanced.
1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica i. viii. 30 An Author of good Antiquity. View more context for this quotation
1665 T. Herbert Some Years Trav. (new ed.) 356 Persons of such ingenuity and so good a purse as [etc.].
1684 I. Mather Providences (1856) i. 21 They were forced..to betake themselves to their boat, taking with them a good supply of bread and a pot of butter.
1736 E. Stanley tr. T. de Saint-Hyacinthe Histoire du Prince Titi iii. 180 At length, after having a long while studied about it, he and Bibi went and gathered a good Heap of Flowers.
1740 G. Smith tr. Laboratory (rev. ed.) App. p. lxv Fill one [rocket shell] with a good charge quite full.
1789 Gentleman's Mag. Dec. 1081/2 The cruelty of the law would ring in the ears of the nation, and there would be a good chance that its repeal would follow.
1839 G. Tollet Let. 10 May in C. Darwin Corr. (1986) II. 191 The Ayrshire Cow is smaller and gives a good return of Milk of better Quality.
1919 J. Buchan Mr. Standfast iv. 84 Ye'll get a good turn-out at your meeting..but they're sayin' that the polis will interfere.
1954 Manch. Guardian Weekly 18 Feb. 8/4 He drew a good crowd of 2,800 to an auditorium that had seats for 3,517.
1988 Times 29 Jan. 7/1 Other fruits in good supply are conference pears..and comice pears.
2009 New Scientist 25 July 7/1 It has a good chance of passing muster.
b. Of reward, recompense, or remuneration: adequate, sufficient, ample. Also figurative or in extended use.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > sufficient quantity, amount, or degree > [adjective]
enoughOE
enowOE
goodOE
suffisanta1340
skilfula1350
sufficientc1380
duea1398
aboundable?1440
competentc1440
suffiand1456
sufficient1539
answerable1551
honourable1590
sufficinga1616
well1673
undeficient1854
OE tr. Chrodegang of Metz Regula Canonicorum (Corpus Cambr. 191) xxxviii. 247 Gif he wel þenað, he begyt gode mede æt Gode.
lOE Laws: Rectitudines (Corpus Cambr.) xx . §2. 452 Gyf he ðonne eal wel gefriðað, he healdan sceal, ðonne bið he godes leanes ful wel wyrðe.
c1330 (?a1300) Sir Tristrem (1886) 612 (MED) He..redily ȝaf him sa Of wel gode mone Ten schilinges and ma Of gayn.
a1450 (?1400) in J. Kail 26 Polit. Poems (1904) 9 (MED) Ȝe were wel worthy to haue good mede.
1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) vi. 148 [Bruce] sa gud payment can thaim ma, That fiff sum in the furd he slew.
1526 C. Mery Talys f. iii I shall gyue your mashyp a good reward.
1557 Let. in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations (1598) I. 300 To giue the master..a good reward for his labour to see the goods well romaged.
1642 Welch-mans Publike Recantation sig. A2v Hee took it for good payment for a Welch Runt.
1697 L. Meager Myst. Husbandry lviii. 130 The painful Husband-man, whose good Industry well deserves a good Recompence.
1751 N. Lardner Serm. upon Var. Subj. xiii. 282 That is justly stiled a good exercise, which has a good reward annexed to it.
1767 Adventures of Author I. ix. 70 If Mr. Hyper was in such present good pay.
1822 J. Heaton Extraordinary Affliction (ed. 2) 71 The spiritual profit received, was a good recompense for the reproaches previously endured.
1876 J. Greenwood Low-life Deeps 171 ‘Is it good pay?’..‘It's starvegut pay.’
1894 E. Œ. Somerville & ‘M. Ross’ Real Charlotte III. xxxix. 87 She was going to get a good return for it, or know the reason why.
1896 G. Ade Artie xi. 98 They say he makes good money.
1915 J. Conrad Victory iii. iii. 193 Father was earning good money.
1977 G. Woods Bloody Harvest 273 There was an ad in the paper, bus drivers wanted by the TTC, good pay, uniform provided.
2010 N.Y. Mag. 13 Dec. 87 I dog-walk... I make good money walking dogs.
11.
a. Used to emphasize that a quantity, number, etc., is at least as great as, and quite probably greater than, stated. Cf. full adj. 6.
ΚΠ
eOE Bald's Leechbk. (Royal) (1865) ii. lxv. 292 Genim giðcornes leafa gode handfulle.
OE tr. Pseudo-Apuleius Herbarium (Vitell.) (1984) xxxvi. 82 Genim þysse ylcan wyrte godne gripan [L. manipulos], seoð on wine.
?a1200 (?OE) Peri Didaxeon (1896) 37 Nim..and ane gode cuppan fulle wines and hæt þat wyn on ane clæne panne.
c1300 Childhood Jesus (Laud) 219 in C. Horstmann Altengl. Legenden (1875) 1st Ser. 10 Ore wei schal nouþe sone schorte, ȝe, bi þritti guode Jorneies.
c1450 Med. Recipes (BL Add. 33996) in F. Heinrich Mittelengl. Medizinbuch (1896) 106 Let þe seke vse þis medycyne..euery day a good sponful.
1522 E. Betts Let. in B. Cusack Everyday Eng. 1500–1700 (1998) 228 Take a good handfull of ffemetery, halfe an handfull of mugwort, [etc.].
1598 J. Stow Suruay of London 349 More then a goode flight shot, towards Kings Land.
1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum §17 Take Violets, and infuse a good Pugill of them in a Quart of Vineger.
1662 J. Davies tr. A. Olearius Voy. & Trav. Ambassadors 17 A good quarter of an ell high.
1668 J. Child Brief Observ. Trade 6 It is a good man's work all the Year to be following Vintners, and Shopkeepers for Money.
1725 R. Bradley Chomel's Dictionaire Œconomique at Cow Throw into an Iron-Cauldron a good Peck of Oats, with a Handful of Salt.
1842 J. W. Carlyle Let. 17 Aug. in Lett. & Memorials (1883) I. 166 The Post-office, which is a good two miles off.
1876 ‘G. Eliot’ Daniel Deronda I. ii. xii. 231 He..played a good hour on the violoncello.
1920 C. Carswell Open Door! iii. v. 392 There was a good cupful for her breakfast.
1958 S. Plath Jrnl. 31 Dec. (2000) 454 I am still dallying a good two hours too much before working.
2000 M. Barrowcliffe Girlfriend 44 vi. 182 ‘You did sleep with him, I heard you,’ said Gerrard. I thought this would be difficult as chez Bad Boy was a good two hundred yards from our tents.
†b. As a postmodifier, often interpretable as having the adverbial sense ‘at least, fully’. Cf. sense A. 27. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > smallness of quantity, amount, or degree > small of quantity, amount, or degree [phrase] > at least
by the leastc1300
at (the) leastwise?c1425
at leastways?1529
with the least?1552
good1577
at least handa1586
the world > relative properties > wholeness > completeness > [adverb] > fully or to full extent or in full
fullyeOE
wellOE
plenarly?1316
largelyc1325
abandonc1330
perfectly1340
sadlya1375
plainlya1382
fullily1385
largea1400
atauntc1400
taunta1550
in toto1573
good1577
soundly1577
richly1588
plenarily1615
sounda1616
plenally1631
1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry iii. f. 144 Geue to euery one three spoonefulles good.
1663 R. L'Estrange Toleration Discuss'd 5 Come Gentlemen, There's a Fire in my Study, and we have Two Hours good to Dinner.
1714 S. Centlivre Wonder iii. 35 Here's five hundred Pounds good, my Brethren, if Antonio dies.
1743 Sel. Trans. Soc. Improvers Knowl. Agric. Scotl. 368 For every Pound of Yarn allow three fourths of a Pound good English Wald.
1834 L. Ritchie Wanderings by Seine 26 We have three quarters good to a voyage of half an hour.
1835 G. R. Gleig Chron. Waltham I. iii. 29 There is a clear sixteen hundred pounds and more; from which, if I take two-thirds for rent, tithe, labour, and manure, I shall still be able to put into my pocket five hundred pounds good.
1889 Argosy Aug. 118 Three hours good in which to make up my mind.
12.
a. Used as an intensifier of a following attributive adjective, usually suggesting that the quality denoted by the adjective is one required, desired, or to be approved of in the noun modified. Cf. sense C. 2.In some cases contextually interpretable as overlapping with another, specific sense: cf., e.g., quot. 1900 with sense A. 20b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > high or intense degree > [adjective] > very great or extreme > specifically of something good or admirable
goodc1300
jolly1559
rare1619
c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) l. 2554 Hand-ax, syþe, gisarm, or spere, Or aunlaz, and god long knif.
a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 123 Þei leien vpon þilke pece..a plumaciol I-wet in good hoot wiyn.
1448 Will of Henry VI in R. Willis & J. W. Clark Archit. Hist. Univ. Cambr. (1886) I. 355 (MED) Item, from the high way on the south syde vnto the wallis of the College a goode high wal with toures conuenient therto.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) 2 Macc. iv. 41 Some gat stones, some good stronge clubbes.
1565 J. Jewel Replie Hardinges Answeare vi. 361 He hath somme good pretie skil in peeuishe Argumentes.
1586 Earl of Leicester Corr. (1844) 254 A good sharp warr.
1593 G. Gifford Dialogue Witches sig. Bii We have a Schoolemaister that is a good pretie scholler, they say, in the Latine tongue.
1639 J. Taylor Divers Crabtree Lect. 167 I can weepe no more, unlesse I get a good sharpe Onion in my handkerchiefe.
1646 H. Hammond View Exceptions to Visct. Falkland's Disc. Infallibilitie 25 A good large Province.
1673 Gentlewomans Compan. 137 Good big pieces of Marrow.
1708 J. Oldmixon Brit. Empire in Amer. II. 341 A Man must be arm'd with a good long Trunchion, and attack them Side-ways.
1787 ‘G. Gambado’ Acad. Horsemen 21 A good smart cut over his right cheek.
1826 W. Cobbett Rural Rides in Cobbett's Weekly Polit. Reg. 4 Nov. 361 Getting upon a good strong horse, and riding about the country has no merit in it.
1885 Daily News 16 July 4/7 It will take a good long time to bring them right.
1900 W. D. Howells Let. 23 July in Sel. Lett. (1981) IV. 246 I propose to take a good long rest, and let the lordly illustrators do some of the humping after this.
1922 H. Kemp Tramping on Life 34 He had a good strong voice.
1966 R. Webster Pract. Gemmol. (ed. 4) xii. 128 The result was a good clean stone of uniform colour.
1991 J. Diski Happily ever After ii. 23 She put down her pen at the age of thirty-six to have a good hard think.
2004 Village Voice (N.Y.) 12 May 102/3 But that was a good long time ago.
†b. spec. Preceding an adjective denoting foolishness or a lack of judgement or intelligence, typically suggesting a naive susceptibility to manipulation by others. Frequently mildly depreciative. Obsolete.Sometimes coloured by sense A. 14a or A. 15a and specifically suggesting an honest and unsuspecting good-naturedness, probably with reference to a perceived connection between naivety or mental deficiency and natural goodness or moral purity (cf. innocent adj. 1a, 3).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > weakness of intellect > simplicity, simple-mindedness > [adjective]
weak1423
simple-hearted?c1425
good1480
innocent1548
plain-headeda1586
simple1604
green1605
zany1616
soft1621
ungifted1637
softly1652
half-witted1712
simple-minded1749
simpletonic1780
simpletonian1800
sawney1805
simpletonish1819
simply disposed1848
putty-headed1857
cabbage-looking1898
goonish1921
wally1922
1480 Cronicles Eng. (Caxton) cclix. sig. y3 The quene..rewlid peasibly all that was don aboute the kyng which was a good simple and Innocent man.
a1555 J. Bradford in J. Strype Eccles. Mem. (1721) III. App. xlv. 130 The good simple Quene is so jelous over my Sonne..we shall make her agree unto all our Requestes.
1591 H. Savile tr. Tacitus Ende of Nero: Fower Bks. Hist. iii. 126 Shall we not then be forced to stand like good silly fooles gazing and gaping at the height of their towers?
1623 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Henry VIII iii. ii. 357 And when he thinkes, good easie man, full surely His Greatnesse is a ripening. View more context for this quotation
a1643 W. Cartwright Ordinary (1651) v. v. 89 They are good silly People; Souls that will Be cheated without trouble.
1784 W. Hayley Marcella iii. i. in Plays of Three Acts 155 Good simple fellow! Is this thy wondrous tale? thy painful truth?
c. colloquial (originally U.S.). good and: (as an intensifier of an adjective) very, exceedingly; completely. Cf. nice adj. 14b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > completeness > completely [phrase]
high and low1397
every (also ilk, ilka) stick?a1400
root and rind?a1400
hair and hide?c1450
stout and routc1450
bane and routc1480
overthwart and endlonga1500
(in) hide and hairc1575
right out1578
horse and footc1600
flesh and fella1616
root and branch1640
stab and stow1680
stoop and roop1728
stick, stock, stone dead1796
rump and stump1824
stump and rump1825
rump and rig1843
good and1885
the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > high or intense degree > [adverb] > extremely or exceedingly
swithlyc888
micklelyeOE
swith971
hardOE
un-i-fohOE
sevenfoldlOE
unmeet?c1225
innerlyc1330
horribly1340
too1340
sore1474
horriblec1475
vehemently1483
outrageous1487
done?a1513
exquisite1529
strangely1532
exceeding1535
exceedingly1535
angardlyc1540
angerlyc1540
choicec1540
vengeable1542
vengeably?1550
extremelya1554
monstrous1569
thrice1579
amain1587
extremea1591
damnably1598
fellc1600
tyrannically1602
exquisitely1603
damnedly1607
preciously1607
damnablea1616
impensively1620
excellingly1621
main1632
fearful1634
vengeancelya1640
upsy1650
impensely1657
twadding1657
vastly1664
hideous1667
mainly1670
consumed1707
consumedly1707
outrageously1749
damned1757
nation1771
shockingly1777
deuced1779
darn1789
darned1807
felly1807
varsal1814
awful1816
awfy1816
frightfully1816
deucedly1819
dogged1819
awfully1820
gallowsa1823
shocking1831
tremendously1832
everlasting1833
terribly1833
fearfully1835
ripping1838
poison1840
thundering1853
frighteninglyc1854
raring1854
hell's own1863
goldarned1866
goddamned1870
doggone1871
acutely1872
whooping1874
stupidly1878
everlastingly1879
hideously1882
densely1883
storming1883
good and1885
thunderingly1885
crazy1887
tremendous1887
madly1888
goldarn1892
howling1895
murderously1916
rasted1919
goddam1921
bitchingly1923
Christly1923
bitching1929
falling-down1930
lousy1932
appallingly1937
stratospherically1941
Christ almighty1945
effing1945
focking1956
dagnab1961
drop-dead1980
hella1987
totes2006
1885 W. L. Alden Adventures Jimmy Brown 88 So I got out the needle, and jammed it into his leg with both hands, so that it would go in good and deep.
1892 R. Kipling Barrack-room Ballads 43 We met them good an' large.
1896 G. Ade Artie xvi. 146 I was good and sore.
1901 S. Merwin & H. K. Webster Calumet ‘K’ i. 14 We got the letter the same day the red-headed man came here. His hair was good and red.
1904 J. London Let. 17 Nov. (1966) 165 The lawyers..waded into me good and hard for the cash.
1954 Encounter Nov. 16/2 The American Machiavelli is tethered good and fast to the pole of Communism.
1969 B. Knox Tallyman ii. 22 [It] can wait until we're good and ready.
1997 J. Ryan Dismantling Mr Doyle iv. 43 I'll set out good and early for the meat in the morning.
2009 Time Out N.Y. 12 Mar. 43/2 One you're good and lacquered, you can announce it to the world.
II. Virtuous with regard to character, disposition, or conduct.
13. As an epithet of God, designating divine perfection generally, or with particular reference to God's benevolence (cf. sense A. 15).For use in exclamations, see Phrases 6a(a), god n. and int. Phrases 1e(a).
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > deity > Christian God > nature or attributes of God > [adjective] > good
goodOE
OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 1st Ser. (Royal) (1997) x. 262 Þeahhwæðere wile se gooda God þæt we hine georne biddon.
OE Paris Psalter (1932) lviii. 10 Min se goda God [L. deus meus], ætyw me þin agen good for minum feondum.
a1225 (c1200) Vices & Virtues (1888) 123 Andettið ȝewer sennen..goddalmihtin, for ðan ðe he is ȝod, for ðan his mildsce is hier on world.
c1350 Psalter (BL Add. 17376) in K. D. Bülbring Earliest Compl. Eng. Prose Psalter (1891) lxxii. 1 Hou gode his þe God of Israel to hem þat ben ryȝtful of hert.
a1400 Psalter (Vesp.) cvi. 1 in C. Horstmann Yorkshire Writers (1896) II. 242 (MED) Schriues to lauerd, for gode he is, For in werld es merci his.
c1475 (?c1425) Avowing of King Arthur (1984) l. 1123 Gud God þat is grete, Gif him sory care.
1544 Letanie in Exhort. vnto Prayer sig. Bvv From hardnes of hart..Good lorde delyuer vs.
a1576 Lady Abergavenny Praiers in T. Bentley et al. Monument of Matrones (1582) ii. 209 Illuminate mine eies..O good Lord, that I sleepe not in darkenes.
1609 G. Benson Serm. 7 May To Rdr. sig. A2 I thanke my good God, who hath set me in the country to be schooled by experience.
a1672 P. Sterry Rise Kingdom of God (1683) 6 We are not The Life, Beauty, Ioy, but a Voice crying in the Wilderness, in a vast Emptiness. Come, taste and see how good the Lord is.
1719 I. Watts Psalms of David 159 Thou Great and Good, Thou Just and Wise, Thou art my Father and my God!
1799 W. Godwin St. Leon I. x. 294 Though God is good, there are dreadful misfortunes in the world, and I suppose we shall have our share of them.
1835 Presbyterian Preacher June 163 The good Lord have mercy on those ministers.
1892 Two Tales 3 296 May the good Lord pity and protect them.
1977 T. Murphy Famine i. 14 Fr Horan. God is good. Dan. And he has a good mother. Brian. He has. Fr. Horan. He has, he has indeed.
2003 S. Alexie Ten Little Indians 139 Folks who believe the Good Lord is their one and only savior.
14.
a. Having or showing high moral standards or great qualities of moral character; virtuous; (sometimes, esp. in early use) spec. righteous; pious, devout.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > aspects of faith > piety > [adjective]
GodfrightOE
goodOE
ghostlyOE
Godfrightya1225
seelya1225
devout?c1225
piteousc1300
spiritualc1384
graciousa1387
godlyc1390
pitifulc1449
inwardc1450
piousc1450
evangelica1475
servantly1503
obedientiala1513
Christian1526
well-believing1529
God-fearing1548
resigneda1555
heavenly minded1569
timorate1570
Godfull1593
pious1595
fearful1597
devoutful1598
devotea1625
serious1684
unctuous1742
theopathetic1749
fire-spirited1845
theopathic1846
unctional1849
interior1854
devotionate1864
sacramental1874
pi1891
OE Widsith 114 Emercan sohte ic..ond Eastgotan, frodne ond godne fæder Unwenes.
OE Beowulf (2008) 2543 Se ðe worna fela, gumcystum god, guða gedigde, hildehlemma.
lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) anno 1086 He wæs milde þam godum mannum þe God lufedon.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) Pref. l. 210 Hiss hallȝhe sawle stah..To takenn ut off helle wa. Þa gode sawless alle.
a1325 (c1280) Southern Passion (Pepys 2344) (1927) l. 604 Hi were god and clene.
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1865) I. 323 [The Danes] beeþ to gode men and trewe boþe esy and mylde.
c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Melibeus (Hengwrt) (2003) §109 Thogh þt he ne foond no good womman, certes many another man hath founde many a womman ful good and trewe.
a1464 J. Capgrave Abbreuiacion of Cron. (Cambr. Gg.4.12) (1983) 134 ‘Benedic’, ‘Benefac’, ‘Benedice’... ‘Sey-wel’, ‘Do-wel’, and ‘Be-good’.
1531 W. Tyndale Answere Mores Dialoge f. xlv If I be good for ye offeringe of a doue and better for a shepe [etc.].
1563 J. Foxe Actes & Monuments 1309/2 No doubt our lady was through the goodnes of God a good & a gratious creature.
1597 G. Markham tr. G. Pétau de Maulette Deuoreux xxxiii. f. 6v The gooddest holy one that breath'd this ayre.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Measure for Measure (1623) iii. i. 183 The hand that hath made you faire, hath made you good . View more context for this quotation
a1661 T. Fuller Worthies (1662) i. 16 He is called..a Good Man in the Church, who is Pious and Devout in his conversation.
1680 W. Temple Ess. Excesses of Grief in Wks. (1731) I. 129 He is a good Man that is better than Men commonly are, or in whom the good Qualities are more than the bad.
1734 A. Pope Ess. Man: Epist. IV 90 And grant the bad what happiness they wou'd, One they must want, which is, to pass for good.
1790 French Revol. iii. i. 19 Some stale maid, necessitously chaste, Fatally pure, and enviously good.
1852 H. B. Stowe Uncle Tom's Cabin I. xi. 166 She is as good as she is beautiful.
1856 C. Kingsley Farewell in Poems 9 Be good, sweet maid, and let who can be clever; Do noble things, not dream them, all day long.
1875 D. M. Mulock Christian's Mistake 26 He saw it all, this good man, this generous, pitiful-hearted man, who knew what sorrow was.
1907 L. F. Baum Ozma of Oz xxi. 253 ‘I don't know,’ replied Dorothy; ‘but let us go to Glinda the Good. I'm sure she will help me.’
1976 Publishers Weekly 18 Oct. 52/1 The reassurance of characters clearly good or evil.
2011 A. Kizer Wildcat Fireflies 236 My condolences. He was a good man. One of the best.
b. Of conduct, life, actions, words, feelings, etc.: conforming to a high standard of morality or virtue; warranting moral approval, morally commendable; virtuous; (sometimes, esp. in early use) spec. righteous, pious.With examples of good deed cf. gooddeed n. 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > kindness > [noun] > act of kindness
goodOE
loveOE
estdedea1325
bounty1330
benefice1340
benefit1377
while1382
whileness1382
officec1384
excellencec1385
goodshipa1393
kindnessc1400
benevolencec1425
benignityc1534
obligement1611
obligation1618
friendlinessa1633
benevolenta1639
beneficence1654
amability1655
benefactiona1662
knight-service1675
kindliness1883
humanity1985
OE Vercelli Homilies (1992) iv. 97 Swa he wile asmeagean ælces mannes, ge gode dæda ge yfele dæda, ge worda gesprecenra ge worca gedonra.
OE St. Eustace (Julius) in W. W. Skeat Ælfric's Lives of Saints (1900) II. 216 Forþam ge wæron winnende on godan life, and ge wæron forþyldiende mænigfealde cos[t]nunga, and swaþeah næron oferswiþde.
c1300 Holy Cross (Laud) 546 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 17 I-cristned he was sone, And guod lijf ladde.
a1425 J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) II. 33 Alle men shulde take hede to þere wordis þat þei ben goode.
?1507 Ballad of Kynd Kittok in W. Dunbar Tua Mariit Wemen sig. b.ivv And yar ȝeris sevin Scho lewit a gud lif.
1581 J. Marbeck Bk. Notes & Common Places 1076 When we do any good deed..we should not hunt and hauke after the praise of men.
a1633 G. Herbert Outlandish Prov. (1640) sig. A7v Hell is full of good meanings and wishings.
a1640 P. Massinger Beleeue as you List (1976) iii. ii. 47 Nor shall or threates, or prayers deter mee from doeinge a good deed in it selfe rewarded.
1670 Earl of Clarendon Ess. in Tracts (1727) 167 No man hath a good conscience, but he who leads a good life.
1713 G. Berkeley in Guardian 14 May 2/1 A natural Gratification attends good Actions.
1766 O. Goldsmith Vicar of Wakefield I. xv. 152 I have ever perceived, that where the mind was capacious, the affections were good.
1828 Tasmanian 4 Dec. 12 Married men, or men of particular good conduct..are permitted the indulgence of sleeping out of Barracks.
1855 E. B. Pusey Doctr. Real Presence Note S. 347 Inworking good in a good disposition which receives It, and implanting damnation in the evil.
1879 H. Spencer Data of Ethics iii. §10. 30 If we call good every kind of conduct which aids the lives of others..then [etc.].
1936 D. Thomas Let. 8 Mar. (1987) 215 And then, when I do come to town, bang go my plans in a horrid alcoholic explosion that scatters all my good intentions.
1989 W. Houston Inside Maple Leaf Gardens xvi. 183 The Ballard children..knew she had a record, but their father was not exactly the epitome of good conduct and virtue either.
2010 Church Times 19 Nov. 30/4 Difficult texts.., all of which turn out to contain a good and wholesome message when read properly.
c. Designating a day on which or season in which religious observance takes place. Chiefly in Christian contexts (usually in Good Friday n.); in later use also occasionally in Jewish contexts (cf. yom tov n.). [With reference to Jewish religious holidays, after Yiddish yontev and its etymon biblical Hebrew yōm ṭōḇ yom tov n.] good tide: see good tide n. Good Wednesday: see Compounds 1c.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > worship > liturgical year > feast, festival > [adjective]
ghostlyOE
holyc1000
goodOE
solemnc1325
festival1389
festiala1422
feastfulc1425
festal1479
spiritual1491
OE Confessor's Exhort. to Penitence (Corpus Cambr. 190) in B. Thorpe Anc. Laws & Instit. of Eng. (1840) II. 224 Ðeos tid cymð ymbe twelfmonað þæt ælc man sceal his scrift gesprecan... Þonne hafa þu rihtne geleafan to Gode & to þysse godan tide.
a1500 in C. Brown Relig. Lyrics 15th Cent. (1939) 123 (MED) Thre kyngys come on goid xij day.
1620 Hist. Frier Rush sig. B2v Vpon a good night, all the whole Convent assembled together in the Quier.
1654 J. Trapp Comm. Minor Prophets ii. 35 She shall neither have holy-dayes nor good dayes (as they are called, Esth. 8.17.) to keep and celebrate.
1723 J. Barker Patch-work Screen for Ladies ii. 45 When Duty and good Days call'd me to Church, I thought I might find there some Compeeresses, or Persons of my own Stamp.
1886 Sabbath Visitor 421/1 Nov. These three festivals or feasts are called good days or holidays, because they are set aside more for rejoicing than for deep thought.
1902 Menorah Mar. 177 He remembers his childhood days, the Jewish ‘good-days’, Sabbaths, the illuminated synagogue, [etc.].
2000 N. Kanellos Noche Buena 83 Christmas Eve, the Good Eve, was the time for the patriarchal feast at the Olivareño.
d. Of a book or other source of instruction: spiritually edifying; morally improving. Cf. good book n. at Compounds 1c.Now overlapping with or merged into sense A. 1.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > aspects of faith > spirituality > [adjective] > instruction or improvement
savourya1391
edificativec1410
gooda1500
edifying1526
edifiable1612
edificant1642
spiritualizing1646
edificatory1649
a1500 ( J. Yonge tr. Secreta Secret. (Rawl.) (1898) 247 Good bokys to rede and study.
1529 T. More Dyaloge Dyuers Maters i. xii. f. xviiv I se not greatly why I shuld mystrust any one that semith honest & tellith a good tale of god.
1557 T. North tr. A. de Guevara Diall Princes (1568) iv. Argt. f. 106v That man..that vouchsafeth not to spend one hower of the day to read a graue sentence of some good booke.
1688 P. Lorrain tr. P. Allix Epictetus Christianus xlix, in tr. P. Allix Prepar. Lord's Supper 131 It is our Duty to edify our Neighbour, with our good Discourse, and instruct him in Piety.
1693 W. Congreve Old Batchelour iv. iv. 40 Sure it's a good Book, and only tends to the Speculation of Sin.
1726 J. Barker Lining of Patch-work Screen 139 He betook himself to Devotion, and reading good Books; all which served but to augment his Grief, by setting his Crimes in a just light.
1810 T. Watson Christian Soldier (U.S. ed.) 59 'Tis the fault of Christians, that they do not in company provoke themselves to set good discourse on foot: it is a sinful modesty.
1876 A. Trollope Autobiogr. (1883) I. iii. 68 A young man should no doubt..spend the long hours of the evening in reading good books and drinking tea.
1904 Shearer (Sydney) 15 Oct. 8/1 They are well dressed and well behaved, and instead of chewing beer, they were reading good books.
1905 A. J. Grant in Early Lives Charlemagne 171 The next six chapters are omitted, because in them the Monk of St Gall is led away, by his desire to tell a good and edifying story, into matter that has no connection of any kind with Charlemagne.
2003 J. K. Jones Reading with God in Mind ii. 25 Please keep reading good books like this one. God will speak to your heart and remind you of what He has already said in the best book, the Bible.
15.
a. Of person: benevolent, kindly, warm-hearted; (also in weakened sense) gracious, courteous, polite (cf. Phrases 5c). Frequently with to.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > kindness > [adjective]
mildeOE
blitheOE
goodOE
well-willingOE
beina1200
goodfulc1275
blithefula1300
faira1300
benignc1320
gainc1330
sweetc1330
kinda1333
propicec1350
well-willeda1382
well-disposeda1393
well-hearteda1393
well-willinga1393
friendsomea1400
well-willya1400
charitablec1405
well-willed1417
good-heartedc1425
kindlyc1425
honeyed1435
propitious1440
affectuousc1441
willya1449
homelyc1450
benevolous1470
benigned1470
benevolent1482
favourousc1485
well-meaned1488
well-meaning1498
humanec1500
favourablec1503
affectionatea1516
well-mindedc1522
beneficial1526
propiciant1531
benignate1533
well-intendeda1535
beneficious1535
kind-hearted1535
well-given1535
affectioned1539
well-wishing1548
figgy?1549
good-meaning1549
affectedc1553
affectionated1561
well-natured1561
well-affected?1563
officious1565
well-inclined1569
good-natured1582
partial1587
graceful?1593
well-intentioned1598
beneficent1616
candid1633
kindlike1637
benefic1641
kindly-hearted1762
well-meant1765
benignanta1782
sweet-hearted1850
OE Beowulf (2008) 347 Wille ic asecgan sunu Healfdenes, mærum þeodne min ærende.., gif he us geunnan wile þæt we hine swa godne gretan moton.
lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough interpolation) anno 1114 He wæs swiðe god & softe man & dyde mycel to gode, wiðinnan & wiðutan.
a1350 Sayings St. Bernard (Harl. 2253) in F. J. Furnivall Minor Poems Vernon MS (1901) ii. 518 Þench þat he þe nes nout god, He wolde haue þyn huerte-blod.
1490 W. Caxton tr. Foure Sonnes of Aymon (1885) xxii. 490 How meke is Reynawde, and good of kynde, to have made peas in this maner of wyse.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VIII f. ciiv Let him resorte to me and I will be secrete and good to him.
a1569 A. Kingsmill Viewe Mans Estate (1574) x. sig. D.v Some were so good as to call him a Prophete.
1602 J. Marston Hist. Antonio & Mellida iii. sig. Fv Tis euen the goodest Ladie that breathes, the most amiable.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Coriolanus (1623) iv. vi. 118 If they Should say be good to Rome. View more context for this quotation
1694 J. Dryden Love Triumphant ii. ii. 26 The goodest Old Man; he drank my Health to his Daughter.
1701 N. Rowe Ambitious Step-mother iv. iii Will you be good And think with Pity on the lost Cleone?
1775 H. Walpole Let. 23 Nov. (1857) VI. 284 You have always been so good to me, Madam.
1806 Simple Narr. I. 140 They say the devil is always good to his own.
1891 E. Peacock Narcissa Brendon I. 256 They were always good to me.
1895 C. Kernahan God & Ant (ed. 4) Ded. 8 [They] were so good as to let me associate books of mine with their names.
1939 A. Christie Murder is Easy xii. 135 Geoffrey was really very patient and good about it.
1960 G. W. Target Teachers (1962) 48 She was a good sort, always willing to give a hand's turn.
2004 J. Burchill Sugar Rush (2005) 214 He'd always been so good to me. But I just didn't care any more.
b. Of actions, dispositions, feelings, etc.: showing kindness; indicating or expressive of a spirit of generosity, benevolence, or friendship; contributing to the happiness or well-being of another person.With examples of good deed, cf. gooddeed n. 2; 20th-cent. examples are often influenced by the third Scout Law (see quot. 1908 at turn n. 4a).good office: see office n. 5. good turn: see turn n. 4a.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > [noun] > with intention to flatter, deceive, etc.
gelec1200
good1563
palaver1733
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > approval or sanction > commendation or praise > flattery or flattering > [noun]
fickling?c1225
flattering?c1225
oluhningc1225
glozec1290
glozing1297
losengery1303
blandishingc1305
blandingc1315
flatteryc1320
glotheringc1325
soothinga1400
honey word?1406
faginga1425
flatrisec1440
smekingc1440
blandishc1475
blandiment?1510
glavering1545
coggingc1555
good1563
milksop1577
court holy water1583
glavery1583
blandishment1591
lipsalve1591
court holy bread1592
flatter1593
colloguing1596
sooth1597
daub?1602
blandation1605
lullaby1611
court-water1616
butter1618
blandiloquy1623
oil1645
court-element1649
courtshipment1649
courtship1655
blandiloquence1656
court-creama1657
daubing1656
fleecha1700
Spanish money1699
cajole1719
whiting1721
palaver1733
butter boat1747
flummery1749
treacle1771
Spanish coin1785
blancmange1790
blarney1796
soft corn1814
whillywha1816
carney1818
buttering up1819
soft soap1821
flam1825
slaver1825
soft solder1836
soothing syrup1839
soft-soaping1840
plámás1853
sawder1854
soap1854
salve1859
taffy1878
plámásing1897
flannel1927
smarm1937
flannelling1945
sweet talk1945
schmear1950
smarming1950
OE Andreas (1932) 480 Wolde ic freondscipe, þeoden þrymfæst, þin[n]e, gif ic mehte, begitan godne.
a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 3 Heo urnen on-ȝein him..mid godere heorte and summe mid ufele þeonke.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 1153 Ðis maidenes deden it in god dhogt.
a1425 (?a1400) G. Chaucer Romaunt Rose (Hunterian) (1891) l. 5234 For goode dede done thurgh praiere Is sold and bought to deere.
c1450 (a1375) Octavian (Calig.) (1979) l. 62 The holy pope Seynt Clement Weddede hem wyth good entent.
1563 2nd Tome Homelyes For Rogation Week i, in J. Griffiths Two Bks. Homilies (1859) ii. 218 In some testification of our good hearts for his deserts unto us.
1576 A. Fleming tr. Cicero in Panoplie Epist. 31 A multitude innumerable, whose good harts and well wishing you have wun.
1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry i. f. 15v Let him geue them a good countenance, & encourage them with rewardes.
1588 Ld. Hunsdon Let. 23 Jan. in Border Papers (1894) I. 307 Sondrie cawses that leades me greatlie to mistrust the Kinges good meaning towards her Majesty.
1608 W. Shakespeare King Lear ii. 161 I am no honest man if there bee any good meaning towards you. View more context for this quotation
1617 F. Moryson Itinerary i. 25 I remember the good offices you did towards me a stranger.
1633 Bp. J. Hall Occas. Medit. (ed. 3) sig. A2v I obtained of him good leave to send them abroad.
1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 288 Being likewise assur'd by Friday's Father, that I might depend upon good Usage from their Nation on his Account.
1769 J. Banks Jrnl. 12 Nov. (1962) I. 432 As soon as they [sc. the Maoris] came near enough they wav'd and calld horomai and set down in the bushes near the beach (a sure mark of their good intentions).
1794 A. Radcliffe Myst. of Udolpho III. ii. 39 It would have been serving you a good turn, ma'amselle, as well as myself.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. 89 The Church of England was saved from this outrage by the good sense and good feeling of the pope.
1928 R. A. Knox Footsteps at Lock v. 42 This..was the spot where the boy scouts were encamped;..fourteen good deeds were registered.
1951 J. C. Fennessy Sonnet in Bottle viii. ii. 253 You've done your Good Deed for the Day, visiting the sick.
1965 J. Potter Death in Office xiii. 127 He was wearing a frank open expression, like a Boy Scout anxious to do his good deed.
1976 G. Gordon 100 Scenes from Married Life 51 Edward wanted to be thanked for his good intentions.
2004 Times Lit. Suppl. 8 Oct. 23/2 Doing someone a good turn.
16.
a. Of a child: well-behaved; quiet and obedient; not giving any trouble. Also in extended use of a dog or other pet animal. Frequently used in expressions of encouragement or approval.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > obedience > submissiveness > [adjective] > quiet or gentle
spacka1400
good1531
1531 tr. E. Fox et al. Determinations Moste Famous Vniuersities iii. f. 40v Thou wilt not be obedient like a good childe, but wylte be a transgressour and a dispiser of thy fathers teachynge, thou shalte be punysshed.
1695 W. Congreve Love for Love ii. i. 21 But come, be a good Girl, don't perplex your poor Uncle.
1699 A. Boyer Royal Dict. (at cited word) A good (or sober) Boy, un garçon sage.
1751 F. Coventry Hist. Pompey the Little i. ix. 82 Be a good Boy, Child, and mind what Mr. Jackson says to you.
1814 J. Austen Mansfield Park I. ii. 23 In vain were the well-meant condescensions of Sir Thomas, and all the officious prognostications of Mrs. Norris that she would be a good girl. View more context for this quotation
1855 J. De Witt Kate Weston xii. 147 The dog trotted proudly away, returning in one minute with the cap, and laying it on his master's lap. ‘Good boy, Rover,’ said Clarence.
1862 Mrs. Sewell Patience Hart xxv. 166 Bless your heart, child; you are a good girl.
1934 P. Lynch Turf-cutter's Donkey xv. 148 ‘Don't forget the stirabout, there's a good child!’ her mother called.
1986 Tiger Lily Nov. 22/1 He was a good boy, studious an' all that.
2005 M. Shayne Darker than Midnight x. 175 That's a good dog, Rex. Good boy.
2011 A. Welles Nor shall my Sword vii. 300 I hope you are both going to be good for daddy while I am away.
b. Used jokingly, familiarly, or patronizingly of an adult, originally in humorous exhortations to proper behaviour, as be good (typically as part of a valediction), if you can't be good, be careful.
ΚΠ
1907 B. Scott (title of song) If you can't be good—be careful.
1908 S. E. White Riverman iii. 29 Well, good-bye, boys... Be good!
1911 Maclean's Mar. 96/2 Well, old man, if you can't be good, be careful.
1921 Collier's 19 Mar. 5/1 At the time when she first asserted herself as an element to be locally reckoned with, Mayme McCartney was a bad little good girl.
1951 T. Rattigan Who is Sylvia? iii. 267 Good night, ladies. Be good.
1958 S. O'Hanlon Gather no Moss iii. 38 In response to Mr. Hubble's shout the secretary appeared. ‘Yes, sir?’ ‘Tea!’ ‘Yes, sir.’ ‘Bloody good girl, Maggie. Adores me. 'Fraid I'm past it, though.’
1999 D. Francis in T. White Britpulp! 293 Pretty please, just be a good boy, fuck off and don't come back until you have procured me some chemicals.
2003 G. Burn North of Eng. Home Service (2004) iv. 130 Like the style, pal. Like it a lot. Be good. An' remember: if you can't be good, be careful.
17. Originally U.S. Of a person from an enemy population or group in a war or other conflict: not troublesome or actively hostile; showing peaceful intentions or a friendly disposition. Originally in good Indian. Cf. Phrases 9e.
ΚΠ
1813 Daily National Intelligencer (Washington) 6 Sept. The governor..stated that the letter did not call upon him to furnish them ammunition, but merely recommended them to his notice as good Indians.
1852 W. Kelly Across Rocky Mountains 102 The chief asked, and got from me, a written acknowledgment that he was a ‘good Indian’, and ‘treated us kindly’.
1881 Harper's Mag. Apr. 704/1 Their chief..the first trader..found to be ‘a good Indian’.
1903 J. P. Sturrock Fifes in S. Afr. xvi. 127 With overcoats heavy with rain, and weighed down with the extra ammunition—intended as a present for a good Boer—no camp in sight, we walked along.
1984 A. Bilek in S. Terkel Good War i. 93 Once in a while you'd find a good Jap. Right away you learned his name.
2006 S. C. Crawford Brownwater III ix. 124 If this gook was VC, do we take him out? And, how do you tell from this distance, the difference between a good gook, and a bad gook?
III. Favourable, pleasant, beneficial.
18.
a. In harmony or accordance with one's hopes or desires; contributing to one's happiness or prosperity; fortunate; (now frequently in somewhat weakened sense, esp. of news) welcome, pleasing. Cf. good luck n., good news n. 1.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > [adjective] > and pleasing
goodeOE
graciousa1398
sweetc1400
graceda1586
cushty1929
eOE (Mercian) Vespasian Psalter (1965) xxxiii. 12 (13) Quis est homo qui..cupit uidere dies bonos : hwelc is mon se..willað gesian dægas gode.
OE tr. Chrodegang of Metz Regula Canonicorum (Corpus Cambr. 191) lxxix. 325 Hwylc ungehyrsum man hæfde æfre gyt godne ende?
c1230 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Corpus Cambr.) (1962) 219 Leue hire & us ba neomen god ende.
a1350 in G. L. Brook Harley Lyrics (1968) 52 Iesu Crist, heouene kyng, ȝef vs alle god endyng.
1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) ii. l. 312 Thomas ansuerd, ‘Thir tithingis ar noucht gud.’
1535 Bible (Coverdale) 2 Sam. xx. 18 So came it to a good ende.
1576 T. Rogers Philos. Disc. Anat. Minde ii. x. f. 92 Rashe counsaile (although sometyme it maye haue good euent: yet that is rather by chance then otherwise) hath euyll successe.
1600 E. Blount tr. G. F. di Conestaggio Hist. Uniting Portugall to Castill 40 Let them goe in a good hower.
1687 J. Dryden Hind & Panther iii. 120 Good fortune may present some happier time, With means to cancell my unwilling crime.
1768 A. Boyer Boyer's Royal Dict. (rev. ed.) (at cited word) She's so big, that she looks for the good hour every moment.
1776 S. Foote Bankrupt i. 8 Never fear, things are in a very good way.
1813 R. Southey New Lett. (1965) II. 68 By good fortune this is the oyster season, and when in town I devour about a dozen in the middle of the day.
1843 C. Dickens Christmas Carol iv. 140 When she asked him faintly what news..he appeared embarrassed how to answer. ‘Is it good’, she said, ‘or bad?’
1950 A. White Lost Traveller v. viii. 250 Gosh, it's good to see you chaps.
1955 D. Eden Darling Clementine i. 7 Perhaps it was a good thing about the baby. Because she, too, secretly hadn't wanted it.
1975 Audubon May 20/2 Circumstances that can only be described as sheer good fortune.
2002 C. Newland Snakeskin ii. 23 The chance was too good to miss, luv.
b. Of an omen or sign: of favourable import; auspicious. Later more generally: boding well, promising. Cf. propitious adj. 1b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > prosperity > [adjective] > favoured or attended by good fortune > auspicious
goodOE
fortunatec1400
luckyc1450
fortunablec1465
sonsyc1540
propitious1581
auspicate1603
auspicial1614
auspicious1616
well1633
silly1650
auspical1656
candid1715
well-omened1720
good luck1761
OE Prognostics (Tiber.) (2007) 299 Gif him þince þæt he geseo scyp yrnan, god ærende him biþ towerd.
a1225 (c1200) Vices & Virtues (1888) 29 Sum oðer dwel hie driueð, and seggeð þat he nafde naht gode handsselle ðe him þat sealde.
1567 W. Painter Palace of Pleasure II. xiii. f. 79 I esteemed for a good presage ye congratulation that the Consul Rutulus did vnto me from thee.
1589 G. Puttenham Arte Eng. Poesie ii. xi. sig. ivv I tooke them both for a good boding.
1603 J. Florio tr. M. de Montaigne Ess. i. xxii. 47 As a good Augur or fore-boding of a martiall minde.
1679 True Narr. Present State of Affairs in Scotl. 3 This we hear, and take it for a good Omen, That there are great debates and divisions among them for the Command.
1742 D. Hume Let. 14 Nov. (1932) I. 45 What! can nothing satisfy you, & must you grumble at every thing. I hope this is a good Prognostic of your being a Patriot.
1770 J. Langhorne & W. Langhorne tr. Plutarch Lives V. 81 Ptolemy of Cyprus, as Cato's good stars would have it, took himself off by poison.
1848 Western Lit. Messenger 10 263/2 The total defeat of the socialists is a good omen of permanency.
1895 Astrologers' Mag. May 225 These two portents are good for the Government of that country and for the general health and prosperity of the country.
1908 E. F. Benson Climber 58 It had struck him..as a good omen that he should open acquaintance with them so pleasantly.
1998 L. David & J. Seinfeld Seinfeld Chron. in L. David et al. Seinfeld Scripts 23 George. It's all in the greeting. Jerry. Uh-huh. George. Alright. If she puts her bag down before she greets you. That's a good sign.
2004 Prediction Apr. 40/1 For the lonely-hearts, the prevailing cosmic picture is a good omen indeed.
c. Of the wind: blowing in a favourable direction for a ship's course. Frequently in to get (also hold) a good wind. Cf. fair adj. 7b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > weather > wind > [adjective] > favourable (of wind)
fairlOE
likinga1387
menablea1393
goodc1425
merrya1571
furthering1599
foreright1605
following1839
c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) v. l. 2253 (MED) Boþe two..Taken þe se whan þe wynd was good.
c1450 (a1375) Octavian (Calig.) (1979) l. 613 Good wynd & whedyr God hem sente.
1569 R. Grafton Chron. II. 280 And had so good winde, that..she arrived before Calice [etc.].
1617 F. Moryson Itinerary i. 42 Nothing were more pleasant..then Sea-voyages, if a man might promise himselfe a good wind, and a reasonable gale.
a1661 J. Glanville Voy. Cadiz (1883) 10 That every shipp might be apt to come forth with the first good winde.
1707 Addit. Coll. Instruments & Forms in A. Justice Gen. Treat. Monies 41 That the said Ship,..shall with the first good Wind and Weather that God shall send, next after the Expiration of the said abiding Days,..directly sail from thence.
1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine Transl. French Terms Sourdre au vent, to hold a good wind.
1840 W. H. Henderson Rep. 22 Feb. in Mariner's Mirror (1980) 66 336 While under all plain sail and in smooth water found her very handy, staying quickly, holding a good wind and fast.
1912 A. G. Chater tr. R. Amundsen South Pole (1913) I. iv. 151 In the part of the ocean where we now were there was a hope of getting a good wind.
1995 L. E. Modesitt Death of Chaos (1996) lxxxix. 423 ‘Always get a good wind coming out of Diehl,’ observed the second mate.
19. Of an opinion, comment, interpretation, etc.: showing or suggesting approval; expressing praise or commendation; favourable; approving. Frequently in a good press (see press n.1 3f).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > approval or sanction > [adjective]
goodeOE
agreeable1448
approbatory1548
better1566
favouring1586
approbative1611
applausive1628
pro1650
pleasing1652
favourable1655
approving1702
enthusiastic1777
all for1864
eOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Otho) (2009) I. vii. 408 [Genoh] sweotol þæt is þætte god word & [god hlisa] ælces monnes bið betra & diorra [þonne ænig] wela.
1477 Earl Rivers tr. Dictes or Sayengis Philosophhres (Caxton) (1877) lf. 53v He that kepith the good opinion & leueth the euill yeueth grete reste to his herte.
1541 T. Elyot Image of Gouernance xv. f. 29 Quenchynge the good opinyon and loue that all men had towarde me, and chaungynge it to a feruent grutche & hatred.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Julius Caesar (1623) ii. i. 144 His Siluer haires Will purchase vs a good opinion. View more context for this quotation
1617 F. Moryson Itinerary ii. 57 With promise to make good construction of his actions.
1665 R. Boyle Occas. Refl. iv. iv. sig. Bb6v As the Apostles were Fishers of men in a good sense, so their and our grand adversary is a skilfull Fisher of men in a bad sense.
1720 J. Burchett Compl. Hist. Trans. at Sea v. xxii. 722 Had our Ships been clean, they might in all Probability have given a good Account of them.
1813 P. B. Shelley Queen Mab v. 69 Whose applause he sells..for a cold world's good word.
1898 Philadelphia Med. Jrnl. 19 Mar. 481/1 Publishers dictating good reviews of their own books, or ‘swapping’ good reviews with certain rival publishers.
1917 Photo-era Nov. 272/2 This excellent man of the camera is just now having some good notices in the press.
1997 Icon Thoughtstyle Mag. Apr. 63/2 Good reviews are as destructive as bad ones if you start listening to them.
1998 A. Weir Elizabeth the Queen iv. 71 For someone who normally set a high value on the good opinion of her people, she appeared to care not a jot what they were thinking.
2012 Brattleboro (Vermont) Reformer (Nexis) 14 Nov. So far we are getting good comments on the changes we are making.
20.
a. Conducive to one's personal well-being; beneficial to one's health; wholesome, healthy. Now chiefly with for, †to. Also in figurative contexts.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > [adjective] > of health: good > conducive to health
goodOE
healfulc1340
hailsome1372
haila1393
wholesomea1398
halesomea1400
wholefulc1443
salutairec1450
soundc1460
healsomec1475
healthful1495
saluberrime1509
laudable?1518
sanative1548
healthy1552
healthsomea1563
salutiferous1604
non-natural1621
salutary1649
sanitiferous1657
saniferousa1706
constitutional1750
sanitary1853
healthward1884
the world > action or operation > advantage > [adjective] > wholesome
goodOE
wholeOE
wholesomec1175
whole?c1225
hailsome1372
healthfulc1384
haila1393
halea1400
salutairec1450
salutary1490
wholesome1549
salutiferec1550
salutiferous?c1550
healthy1552
healthsomea1563
salubrious1659
apple pie1960
OE Vercelli Homilies (1992) vii. 137 Se goda mete ægðer deð, ge þone lichoman fedeð ge þæt mod gladað to ælcere hælo.
OE Ælfric Old Eng. Hexateuch: Gen. (Claud.) ii. 18 Nis na god [L. bonum] ðisum men ana to wunigenne.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 2708 Hit wes god þat he spec.
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1865) I. 293 (MED) Þe water of þat welle is swiþe good for men and nouȝt for wommen.
c1400 J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) III. 505 If I erre in þis sentense, I wil mekely be amendid, ȝhe, by þo deth, if hit be skilful, for þat I hope were gude to me.
a1500 (c1340) R. Rolle Psalter (Univ. Oxf. 64) (1884) cxviii. 11 Disciplyne of silence is goed.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VII f. vii Before that this euell newly planted wede should straye and wander ouer the good herbes of his whole realme.
1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus Cecubum,..a kinde of wyne good to digestion.
1599 H. Buttes Dyets Dry Dinner sig. E4v Very good for the short winded, and splenaticke.
1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 209 It is an Ile abounding with all good things requisite for mans vse.
1661 J. Godolphin Συνηγορος Θαλασσιος Introd. sig. [a6] He may not sail with other Ship-provisions then what is good and wholesome.
1753 E. Haywood Hist. Jemmy & Jenny Jessamy I. v. 53 It was good for her ladyship's health to be thus alfresco.
1847 Calif. Star (San Francisco) 30 Jan. 2/3 The town [sc. San Francisco] takes its name from an herb..possessing medicinal qualities; it is called good herb or Yerba Buena.
1891 C. Lowe in 19th Cent. Dec. 858 Knowing much better what is good for its children than these latter themselves.
1915 V. Woolf Voy. Out iii. 55 I often wonder..whether it is really good for a woman to live with a man who is morally her superior.
1955 G. Greene Quiet Amer. ii. ii. 107 Lime juice is very good for you in this climate.
1972 K. M. Peyton Pattern of Roses v. 55 Miss M., in proper Victorian fashion, thought that drawing things was basic art training, good and wholesome like bread and butter before jelly.
2006 New Scientist 3 June 39/2 Whatever your pleasure, the great news is that pleasure itself is good for you. Really good.
b. Of a period of rest or relaxation: salutary, restorative. Frequently in to have a good night: to sleep soundly and restfully.Frequently with the implication of having a sufficient or ample amount of rest, etc., overlapping with sense A. 10.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > [adjective]
medicinala1384
wholesomea1387
healinga1398
medicinablea1398
restorativea1398
sanative14..
curatory?a1425
remediable1437
mildlya1475
curable1483
recurablea1500
curative1525
eradicative1543
good1580
physical1580
medicable1590
sanable1598
balsamic1605
therapeutical1606
medicinary1607
medicative1644
medical1646
therapeutic1646
salutary1649
salvative1653
boethetic1656
medicamentary1656
recuperatory1656
sanitating1656
medicamental1657
medicamentous1659
medicating1705
balmy1747
salving1751
sanatorya1832
salubrious1855
medicatory1864
recuperative1872
1580 T. Lupton Siuqila (new ed.) 76 They haue neuer an euil daye that haue a good night.
1599 W. Shakespeare et al. Passionate Pilgrime (new ed.) sig. B8 Good night, good rest, ah neither be my share.
1666 J. Vernon Compl. Scholler 56 He had a good night. On the twentieth he was comfortable in the morning, and brake fast chearfully.
1682 T. D'Urfey Royalist ii. i. 12 Now I wish your Honours good rest, with my unfeign'd thanks for this dayes favour.
1701 W. Penn in Mem. Hist. Soc. Pennsylvania (1870) IX. 47 My daughter..has had a good night and is better.
1768 L. Sterne Sentimental Journey II. 115 A man who values a good night's rest will not lie down with enmity in his heart if he can help it.
1838 Amer. Jrnl. Med. Sci. 22 20 Our patient had a very good night; slept comfortably, without an opiate.
1859 J. W. Carlyle Let. 26 Sept. in Lett. & Memorials (1883) III. 8 A good sleep would have put me to rights.
1894 Lancet 3 Nov. 1027 He had a very good night.
1919 ‘K. Mansfield’ Let. 22 Oct. (1993) III. 41 My heads been aching & my cough going & yesterday after Id written your letter I just went bang to bed with hot water bottles and had a good rest.
1934 K. O'Brien Ante-room i. ii. 26 ‘Have a good rest this morning,’ he said, ‘and then we'll have a grand read of Miss Braddon in the afternoon.’
1987 R. Cutler in Style May 107 The next morning she asked him if he had had a good night. ‘Ja, well no fine,’ said True Butch, ‘I swear I never ever sleep so good before.’
2005 Rip & Burn Mar. 53/3 We were both burned out. Me with touring, him with writing. We both just needed a good break.
2005 Independent 16 May 16/4 I had started to crumble the previous day but I thought with a good night's sleep I would be better.
21.
a. Pleasing, appealing, or satisfying to the senses.In later use frequently as the complement of a verb of sensation.
(a) Pleasant to eat or smell; tasty, appetizing; fragrant. Also in figurative contexts.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > taste and flavour > savouriness > [adjective]
likingeOE
goodOE
lickerousc1275
deliciousa1325
daintya1382
dainteousc1386
daintiful1393
delicatea1398
merrya1398
savourlyc1400
liciousc1420
savourousa1425
daintethc1430
lustyc1430
feelsomea1450
nuttya1450
seasonablea1475
delicativec1475
unctuous1495
well-tasteda1500
daintive1526
savoury1533
exquisite1561
spicy1562
well-relished?1575
finger-licking1584
toothsome1584
taste-pleasinga1586
daint1590
relishsome1593
lickerish1595
tastesome1598
friand1599
tooth-tempting1603
relishing1605
well-relishing1608
neat1609
hungry1611
palate-pleasing1611
tasteful1611
palatea1617
tastya1617
palatable1619
toothful1622
sipid1623
unsoured1626
famelic1631
tasteablea1641
piquant1645
sapid1646
saporousa1670
slape1671
palativea1682
flavorous1697
nice1709
well-flavoured1717
gusty1721
flavoury1727
fine-palated1735
unrepulsive1787
degustatory1824
zesty1826
peckish1845
mouth-watering1847
flavoursome1853
unreasty1853
unrancida1855
relishy1864
toothy1864
flavoured1867
tasty-looking1867
hungrifying1886
velvety1888
snappy1892
zippy1911
savoursome1922
delish1953
OE Blickling Homilies 73 Þær wæron þreo þa betstan ele, & nardus, & spica, seo is brunes heowes & godes stences.
OE Paris Psalter (1932) cxviii. 103 Me is on gomum god and swete þin agen word, ece drihten.
a1425 Story Holy Rood (Harl.) l. 421 in R. Morris Legends Holy Rood (1871) 73 So gude sauore gan þai fele, Þat [etc.].
1546 J. Heywood Dialogue Prouerbes Eng. Tongue ii. iv. sig. G.iii Pepper is blacke..And hath a good smacke And euery man doth it bye.
1599 H. Buttes Dyets Dry Dinner sig. Cv Drinke old wine of good sauour vpon them.
1653 I. Walton Compl. Angler ii. 58 You wil find him very good [to eat] . View more context for this quotation
1684 G. Meriton York-shire Dial. 484 I think you heve nut din'd, here's a good smell.
1694 Narbrough's Acct. Several Late Voy. 124 Small Blackberries, good and well-tasted.
1755 W. Hay tr. Martial Select Epigrams ii. xlviii. 13 Wine, and good fare.
1772 J. Rutty Ess. Nat. Hist. Dublin I. 357 The Salmon Trout..is of a good relish and high flavour, preferred by some to the Salmon.
1818 J. Paddock Narr. Shipwreck Oswego vii. 146 Our appetites being very keen, this swill tasted good, and sat well on our stomachs.
1830 Reg. Pennsylvania 9 Oct. 237/2 Horticultural Society... Mr. Mease sent blue Prune Plums, of good flavour.
1883 Official Catal. Internat. Fisheries Exhib. (ed. 4) 179 Flying Fish and Jack Fish are good eating, and likewise the Rock Hind.
a1904 L. Hearn in E. Bisland Life & Lett. Lafcadio Hearn (1906) I. iv. 146 Please come soon, or the dishes will lose their good flavour.
1996 New Idea June 45/3 This fish is good served on a bed of salad greens.
2004 Toronto Star (Nexis) 7 May d16 I suspect my friends notice I am relishing the meal a bit too much—non-free-range chicken has never tasted so good.
(b) Of pleasing appearance; pleasant to look at; esp. (of a person, a person's face, etc.) attractive, handsome. Cf. good looks n., goodly adj. 1a.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > beauty > [adjective] > specifically of persons > of face
goodOE
fair-faced1553
bright-faceda1560
full of face1609
beautiful-faced1688
OE Homily (Hatton 113) in A. S. Napier Wulfstan (1883) 140 Þonne ðu wære glæd and reod and godes hiwes, þonne wæs ic blac and swyðe unrot.
1556 J. Heywood Spider & Flie Pref. sig. Aiiv She hath a good face, Which gift of God, her selfe doth ill disgrace.
c1600 R. Lindsay Hist. & Cron. Scotl. (1899) I. 24 He was ane ȝoung man of singular guid appeirance.
1609 W. Shakespeare Pericles xvi. 45 Shee has a good face. View more context for this quotation
1676 G. Etherege Man of Mode ii. i. 22 Young Ladies, Who notoriously wash, and paint, though they Have naturally good Complexions.
1771 T. Smollett Humphry Clinker I. 20 She dances finely, has a good figure, and is very well inclined; but, she's deficient in spirit.
1847 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair (1848) vii. 57 A handsome gentleman with a trim beard and a good leg.
1870 C. Dickens Edwin Drood ii. 6 His face and figure are good.
1890 W. S. Gilbert Foggerty's Fairy & Other Tales 225 I see no reason why a governess in a country vicarage should not wear short petticoats if she has good legs.
1928 M. West Pleasure Man in Three Plays (1997) 174 You look good to me—you look like a million dollars.
1977 J. Lees-Milne Diary 25 Dec. in Through Wood & Dale (2001) 219 He has a good figure but an undistinguished, weak face.
2007 F. Weldon Spa (U.S. ed.) xv. 141 I was skinny but had good tits and a nice bum.
(c) With reference to other senses or to sensation generally.
ΚΠ
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) vi. l. 845 (MED) Thus every thing that I mai hiere, Which souneth to mi ladi goode, Is to myn Ere a lusti foode.
1538 T. Elyot Dict. Euphonia, a good sounde.
1594 T. Bowes tr. P. de la Primaudaye French Acad. II. 96 How much more..ought wee to admire that great and diuine Organist, that hath made those goodly Organs of mans body, and giuen them such a good sound?
1834 Thomsonian Bot. Watchman Dec. 186/1 As..this dose had made her feel comfortable, it was much better to leave her for the night under those good sensations.
1899 B. M. Dix Hugh Gwyeth xiv. 240 The sheets felt good, and he shut his eyes to keep out the troublesome candlelight.
1968 H. S. Thompson Let. 15 Jan. in Fear & Loathing in Amer. (2000) 19 It's a good feeling to know that somebody in Herrin, Ill. is hearing my music, however weird or warped it might sound at that range.
1977 J. McPhee Coming into Country i. 5 The trickles of water that run down my T-shirt feel good.
1987 X. Hollander Happy Hooker (rev. ed.) ii. 29 There was no..pain, just a sensation, warm, good and intense.
2008 M. Billingham In Dark (2009) 6 The Beemer sounds good—just a low hum, and a whisper under the wheels.
b. Entertaining, engaging; esp. amusing, humorous, witty. Cf. good thing n. 2.as good as a play: see play n. 16d. good company: see company n. 6f.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > [adjective] > amusing or entertaining
sportful1445
solaciousc1450
recreativec1487
good1489
sportsome1533
entertaining1582
divertive1598
pastiming1606
distractful1636
diverting1651
divertising1655
divertissanta1660
lightsome1679
amusive1730
amusing1753
musical1815
fun1827
funsy1958
1489 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (Adv.) i. l. 4. Storys..said on gud maner.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 867/1 God sende you good company, Dieu vous doynt bon encontre.
1598 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 1 ii. iii. 3 It would be argument for a week, laughter for a month, and a good iest for euer. View more context for this quotation
1660 S. Pepys Diary 19 Sept. (1970) I. 248 Some of us fell to Handycapp, a sport that I never knew before, which was very good.
a1698 W. Temple Wks. (1814) III. 264 The Ambassadors were indeed content..that the first should be thought; which gave occasion for a very good repartee of the Princess Dowager to the Duke of Buckingham.
1718 Make Noise Tom i. 3 I ever lov'd Giggling as my Life. I'd sooner lose my Creed at any Time, than a good Joke.
1834 F. Marryat Jacob Faithful I. ix. 155 Come, spin us a good yarn, father.
1841 T. Hood Friend in Need xii, in New Monthly Mag. Apr. 524 ‘It's a jolly good lark!’ said Jasper, laughing boisterously till he fell backward on his pillow.
1915 A. D. Gillespie Let. 14 Mar. in Lett. from Flanders (1916) 49 He can tell a rattling good story, which many of those modern psychological novelists, with their elaborate analysis of character and of sensation, quite fail to do.
1953 H. Miller Plexus II. xvi. 321 My mother! Ho ho! You were talking to my mother! Hah, hah, hah! It's too good, just too good for words.
2007 A. Theroux Laura Warholic ix. 103 ‘That's a good one,’ she cackled.
c. Of a period of time or an activity: characterized by or giving enjoyment or pleasure; enjoyable, agreeable, pleasant. Frequently in to have a good time (of it): see time n. 7.a good time was had by all: see time n., int., and conj. Phrases 4g(b).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pleasure > quality of being pleasant or pleasurable > [adjective] > pleasant or enjoyable
lustlyc1200
comfortablec1340
lustful1340
savourousa1425
good1509
relishable1605
fruitive1635
relishing1689
savouring1714
enjoyable1743
amenable1915
1509 H. Watson tr. S. Brant Shyppe of Fooles (de Worde) xlix. sig. Miii Pecunyous fooles that by auaryce, and for to haue good tyme..and lyue Joyously weddeth these olde wyddred women.
1666 S. Pepys Diary 7 Mar. (1972) VII. 67 So thither I went, and had as good a time as heart could wish.
?1706 E. Hickeringill Priest-craft: 2nd Pt. vi. 60 And what I say to Papists I say to all Protestants, if you like to be Priest-ridden, farewel—a good Voyage to you.
?1760 A. R. Curiosities of Paris (new ed.) 3 He congratulates your Arrival into the French Dominions, and, if you proceed higher up into the Country, sincerely wishes you a good Journey.
1845 C. Burdett Chances & Changes vii. 62 We will have many a good excursion together yet.
1893 Good Housek. Dec. 267/2 They say if it hadn't been for me they wouldn't have had such a good Christmas.
1904 Baily's Mag. Aug. 163/2 Any south-countryman on the look-out for a good time is recommended to entrust himself to the care of the first local sportsman who invites him.
1957 N. Coward Diary 30 June (2000) 358 Not a very good party really, owing to a few deadheads.
1966 ‘A. Hall’ 9th Directive iii. 33 They say you're leaving tonight... Have a good trip.
2003 New! 3 Nov. 82/1 I do like downing a Kir Royale—champagne with a splash of the blackcurrant liqueur Cassis—it's lovely at the start of a good night out.
22. Of the weather: sunny, warm, and bright; fine; free from cloud, rain, storm, etc.With the implication that weather of this kind is favourable to the pursuit of activities out of doors (in early use esp. navigation by sea), or simply pleasant to be out in.
ΚΠ
lOE St. Nicholas (Corpus Cambr.) (1997) 91 Heom com god weder & mid spedigum winde segledon ham to Constantinopole.
a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 5216 Wind & gode wederes hade þei at wille.
c1450 Treat. Fishing in J. McDonald et al. Origins of Angling (1963) 167 (MED) Yf the wynde þat sesan haue any parte of þe northe, þe wetur þen ys good.
1557 T. Tusser Hundreth Good Pointes Husbandrie sig. B.i Or winter doe come, while the weather is good: for gutting thy grounde, get the home with thy wood.
1588 R. Greene Pandosto sig. Fv If they pretermitted this good weather, they might stay long ere they had such a fayre winde.
1699 Poor Man's Plea against Price of Corn 5 The continued good Weather..gave the Corn so much time to knit and kearn, as they call it.
1721 J. Swift Let. to Worrall 14 Sept. in Wks. (1766) XI. 217 A fit of good weather would tempt me a week longer.
1782 F. Burney Cecilia V. ix. v. 95 The weather being good on the morning that he called.
1860 J. Tyndall Glaciers of Alps i. §5. 37 That lingering rosy hue which bodes good weather.
1906 Western Field Aug. 799/1 I think we'd better take advantage of this good weather and go aboard the sloop for a few days.
1952 T. Armstrong Adam Brunskill x. 342 When the weather was good enough Adam usually got up in the early afternoon.
2011 Daily Tel. 11 July 24/4 Ten years ago, there was no prolonged spell of good weather without Cassandra-like warnings about the hazards of ultraviolet radiation.
IV. Valid, sound; safe, secure, reliable. (Now chiefly in predicative use, except in sense A. 25.)
23.
a. Legally binding owing to having been executed in compliance with the law; legally acceptable, in force, or valid.In early use sometimes strengthening right (noun) in prepositional phrases: compare by good right at right n. Phrases 1b(e), with (also mid) right at right n. Phrases 1b(n), by (†good, etc.) right at right n. Phrases 2a(b).to hold good: see hold v. 23c. to stand good: see stand v. 24b.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > foundation in fact, validity > [adjective]
goodOE
substantial1419
soundc1440
allowablec1443
stronga1475
stable1481
infallible1526
sore1530
sincere1536
acknowledged1548
of…validity1581
firm1600
acknowledgeable1630
valiant1632
infallid1635
valid1651
copper-bottomed1890
OE Paris Psalter (1932) xcviii. 4 Þu on Iacobe gode domas æt fruman worlde fægere settest [L. iudicium et iustitiam in Iacob tu fecisti].
?a1160 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1140 He spedde litel & be gode rihte, for he was an yuel man.
c1225 (?c1200) Hali Meiðhad (Bodl.) (1940) 152 Þu of earnest meiden to beon englene euening..& wið god rihte hwen þu hare liflade..leadest.
c1350 (a1333) William of Shoreham Poems (1902) 126 Ich dar segge mid gode ryȝte Þat [etc.].
1449–50 Rolls of Parl.: Henry VI (Electronic ed.) Parl. Nov. 1449 §53. m. 16 But that the seide lettres patentes be gode and effectuell; the seide petition or act of resumption notwithstondyng.
1528–30 tr. T. Littleton Tenures (new ed.) f. iii If..the lande is gyuen to the son and to the heyres of the body of his father ingendred, this is a good tayle.
1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. lxxviij Ferdinando..affirmed the kyngdome to be his by good right.
1562 Act 5 Eliz. c. 12 §4 Licences..shall have Continuance and be good only for one Year.
1569 R. Grafton Chron. II. 100 Stood foorth and proued the former election to be good.
a1627 T. Middleton & W. Rowley Old Law (1656) iii. 29 Tis good in Law too.
1632 T. E. Lawes Womens Rights iii. xxv. 172 It was admitted in Falmestones Case, that such a Lease made for fifty yeares, was good for 21.
1678 J. Godolphin Repertorium Canonicum Index sig. Ssss Resignation-Bonds, whether good in Law.
1755 N. Magens Ess. Insurances I. 406 Goods not proved to be neutral Property might be condemned as good Prize.
1805 W. Cruise Digest Laws Eng. Real Prop. V. 489 Although a recovery be a good bar to a remainder for years [etc.].
1885 Law Rep.: Chancery Div. 29 541 That part of the appointment being bad, did not prevent the limitation over being good.
1917 Lawyers Rep. Annotated 1917C 440/2 The contract was good between the parties, either as a written contract,..or as a verbal contract.
1988 Times 19 Nov. 53/6 In paying a debt the gambler conferred good title in the same way as a donor conferred good title on his donee.
2006 R. K. Mastain Old Lady of Vine St. xii. 179 Condition after condition had to be agreed upon before the employee contracts were good.
b. Originally U.S. In commercial contexts, of a ticket, sales promotion, etc.: valid or in effect for specific period of time or with reference to a particular product or service. Frequently with for.
ΚΠ
1783 in T. Southey Chron. Hist. W. Indies (1827) II. 545/2 Slaves on their return to have also a ticket, which is to contain the quantity of merchandize brought, or with which they are charged. The tickets good for six days only.
?1830 Galignani's New Paris Guide (ed. 17) 43 Previous to the expiration of the year, however, the duplicate can be renewed, upon payment of the interest due upon it, and is then good for another year.
1874 J. Fiske Let. 2 Apr. (1940) 318 Adkins left for Rome, being tied by a circular ticket good for so many days.
1903 N.Y. Tribune 20 Sept. A 50-cent combination ticket good for every amusement on the island.
1904 W. B. Yeats Let. 24 Jan. (1994) III. 534 I could get to Los-Angeles without extra expense as I find my ticket is good for there to[o].
1989 Austin (Texas) Amer.-Statesman 29 Apr. c3 (advt.) Not good with other offers.
2002 Ottawa Citizen (Nexis) 9 May b8 Television guarantees good for a year or more in Canada can end after just three months south of the border.
c. Sport. Counting as a scoring or legitimate stroke, shot, or play, according to the rules of the game; (in tennis and other racket sports) landing within the designated playing area; in.
ΚΠ
1908 J. S. Hamilton Butt Chanler i. 3 This time the first serve was good.
1935 N.Y. Times 27 Oct. v. 5/1 White plunged through left tackle for a score. Bill Lynch's conversion was good.
1949 Manch. Guardian 15 Oct. 3/5 He stood outside the baseline to receive Borotra's half-paced services, and if his return was good, it usually gave Borotra a chance of a winning volley.
1977 New Yorker 10 Oct. 150/2 A cross-court backhand by Connors that may or may not have hit the sideline was called good.
1997 Daily Mail (Nexis) 1 July 68 The line judge ruled that a forehand approach from Testud had landed beyond the baseline, but [the umpire] announced: ‘Correction, the ball was good’ and awarded the point to the French player.
2002 Observer (Nexis) 17 Feb. (Sport pages) 2 Video replay revealed his try in the corner to be good.
24. Of money: that may be legally used; spec. (a) genuine, not counterfeit; (b) not debased, clipped, or otherwise mutilated.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > money > medium of exchange or currency > [adjective] > legal or current
gooda1325
sterlingc1400
a1325 (?c1300) Northern Passion (Cambr. Gg.1.1) l. 160 Þei iyef him..þrythi plates of god mone.
c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Pardoner's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 602 So þt ye offren..Nobles, or pens, whiche þt been goode & trewe.
1448 in R. Willis & J. W. Clark Archit. Hist. Univ. Cambr. (1886) II. 8 The seides John Veyse and Thomas Sturgeon be holden..to the forseid master Andrewe Dokett in an hundred pound of good and lawfull money of Inglond.
1530 R. Whitford Werke for Housholders (new ed.) sig. C.iii He proued the money were good and lawfull money.
1573 J. Sanford tr. L. Guicciardini Hours Recreat. (1576) 178 In taking a peece of false money for good, one may have small losse.
a1639 W. Whately Prototypes (1640) xix. 43 Pay me what you be able, so you bring me good money, not counterfeit.
1683 Proclamation 22 May in H. R. McIlwaine Exec. Jrnls. Council Colonial Virginia (1925) I. 45 Every french Crown, Rex Dollor, piece & pieces of Eight, being good Silver, shall pass..by way of payment to ye full and reall value of six shillings.
1710 R. Steele Tatler No. 208. ⁋4 It is no Matter how dirty a Bag it is conveyed to him in,..so the Money is good.
1819 J. H. Vaux New Vocab. Flash Lang. in Memoirs II. 201 Ringing the changes, is a fraud practised by smashers, who when they receive good money in change of a guinea, &c., ring in one or more pieces of base with great dexterity and then request the party to change them.
1858 H. D. Macleod Elem. Polit. Econ. 477 He [sc. Gresham] was the first to perceive that a bad and debased currency is the cause of the disappearance of the good money.
1891 C. B. Patten Methods & Machinery Pract. Banking ii. 44 Simple rules by which to infallibly decide by these numbers whether a given bill was good or counterfeit.
1916 National Drug Clerk Sept. 666/1 Got my aspirins and laid down a pair of perfectly good dimes on the counter.
1954 Frederick (Maryland) Post 6 Jan. 4/7 [He] insisted the new car was financed with ‘good’ money.
2009 L. Manfredo Rizzo's War 216 She gave the guy the dough right on the spot. He put it all under a light he had, said it was good, not counterfeit.
25. Of a reason, claim, testimony, etc.: having a sound rational or factual basis; valid, justifiable; credible, strong, convincing; (of the basis for a claim or testimony) reliable, trustworthy.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > belief > belief, trust, confidence > credibility > [adjective] > of evidence or information
good1340
crediblea1393
creditable1594
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 6 (MED) Ine guode skele me may zuerie wyþ-oute zenne.
?1518 A. Barclay Fyfte Eglog sig. Av He hadde good reason, suche thynges to conuaye.
a1557 J. Cheke tr. Gospel St. Matthew (1843) xx. 4 Whatsoever is good reason I wil give iou.
1596 J. Harington New Disc. Aiax sig. G6 And thys standes with good reason.
a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) iii. iii. 83 He is not like to marrie me wel: and not being wel married, it wil be a good excuse for me heereafter, to leaue my wife. View more context for this quotation
1617 F. Moryson Itinerary iii. 28 Having the Lawes..together with a good cause on his side.
1687 F. Atterbury Answer Considerations Spirit Luther 51 He is resolved now to shew how slight the propositions were which Luther let go for good.
1689 J. Locke Two Treat. Govt. i. §149 Every Father of a Family..had as good a claim to Royalty as these.
a1734 R. North Examen (1740) iii. vi. §22 438 There were very good Reasons for the King to indulge the Fanatics.., yet he did it for none of those, but for other Reasons that were abominably bad.
1746 Gentleman's Mag. Nov. 597/1 I will relate on this occasion a conversation, which we have on good authority.
1828 J. J. Gurney in J. B. Brathwaite Mem. J. Gurney (1854) I. 374 I think there is good reason to suppose a period of some strift and considerable loss to be at hand.
1898 A. F. Murison Sir W. Wallace v. 91 He promptly hanged such as failed to furnish a good excuse.
1963 F. O'Connor Let. 4 May (1979) 517 In the gospels it was the devils who first recognized Christ and the evangelists didn't censor this information. They apparently thought it was pretty good witness.
1969 V. Bartlett Past of Pastimes viii. 97 Charterhouse, which was then in London and without grass fields for recreation, has a good claim to have originated the practice of ‘dribbling’, which is so important a feature of soccer.
1981 K. Vonnegut Palm Sunday (1982) i. 21 They have it on good authority that the books are bad for children.
2009 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 19 Apr. (Week in Review section) 2/4 People have very good reason to believe that companies will behave homophobically... There is a lot of homophobia out there.
26.
a. In financial or commercial contexts: safe or reliable with regard to the likely profit or return; spec. (a) designating a debt for which the creditor can expect full and timely repayment; (b) (Insurance) designating an applicant for life insurance who is of average life expectancy, being free from known impairment.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > management of money > insolvency > indebtedness > [noun] > a debt > debts that can or cannot be paid
gooda1640
1495 Rolls of Parl.: Henry VII (Electronic ed.) Parl. Oct. 1495 §49. m. 29 Lessees..[shall] fynde goode and suffycient suertie.
1570 J. Foxe Actes & Monumentes (rev. ed.) II. 1131/2 Many..passyng it ouer one to an other for good debt, as if it had bene ready money in their purses.
a1640 P. Massinger City-Madam (1658) iii. iii. 65 Fair houshold furniture; a few good debts..I find.
1755 N. Magens Ess. Insurances I. 33 The common Premium on a good Life from 20 to 50 Years of Age is 5 per Cent.
1788 Calcutta Chron. 27 Mar. Good Bills, or Acceptances, received in Payment, at Four Months.
1828 D. le Marchant Rep. Claims to Barony of Gardner 78 It was a sufficiently good life within the meaning of the terms of that insurance office.
1867 A. M. Bell Lect. Conveyancing I. ii. iv. iii. 382 The debts due to the company in such cases may be classified as—(1.) good debts; (2.) debts of doubtful value..; and (3.) debts bad, or of uncertain value.
1896 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. I. 476 [An applicant for insurance] was..called upon to state on oath that he believed himself to be a good life.
1903 Westm. Gaz. 18 June 2/1 In international commerce the form of money most used is a bill of exchange, and a good bill is good money.
1925 Industrial Assurance: Rep. Commissioner for 1924 97 in Parl. Papers 1924–5 (H.C. 106) XXIII. 123 In July, 1923, she was examined by a Dr. Brentnall on behalf of another insurance concern, and was passed as a good life.
1946 G. von Haberler Prosperity & Depression (ed. 3) xi. 387 Bankruptcies and the fear of good debts turning into bad ones give rise to a flight to liquidity.
2013 K. Ord & R. Fildes Princ. Business Forecasting x. 318 Only a relatively small percentage of good loans would be included, so as not to overweight the good loans at the expense of the bad.
b. Of a person or company: able to be relied on to fulfil financial engagements, esp. to pay back money that is owed; safe to lend money to; financially sound, creditworthy. Later also of credit (with possessive pronoun): that can be safely extended, because the subject is financially sound and payment can be relied on.
ΚΠ
?1552 V. Leigh Pleasaunt Playne & Pythye Pathewaye sig. A.iii He that by marchandise, wyll get hys lyuynge, Nedeth bothe good credit, and a stocke at the begynnynge.
1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice i. iii. 16 My meaning in saying hee is a good man, is to haue you vnderstand mee that hee is sufficient. View more context for this quotation
1605 J. Marston Dutch Courtezan iii. ii. E 2 b Gar. Your bill had ben sufficient, y'are a good man.
a1661 T. Fuller Worthies (1662) i. 16 He is called..a Good Man upon the Exchange, who hath a responsable Estate.
1755 N. Magens Ess. Insurances I. 403 These Contracts are sold and re-sold at Pleasure..when they are signed by good and known People.
1788 J. Wesley Wks. (1872) VII. 219 The whole city of London uses the words rich and good as equivalent terms.
1798 J. Root Rep. Superior Court & Supreme Court of Errors 1 417 The recommendation given by the plaintiff in error, was that the defendant was good for fifteen or twenty pounds.
1805 Sporting Mag. 25 193 I stood firm, and upon 'Change, was universally reported to be a good man.
1831 T. L. Peacock Crotchet Castle iii. 34 Good and respectable, sir, I take it, means rich?
1904 Washington Post 12 Aug. 3 (advt.) Buy now. Pay later. Your credit is good.
1974 A. V. Adey in B. Taylor & G. de Moubray Strategic Planning for Financial Inst. vi. 100 He is good for credit provided the repayments are not too large.
2011 National (Nexis) 9 Aug. US politicians might have done just about enough to convince debt markets its credit is still good.
c. With for.
(a) Originally of a promissory note, bill, etc.: that may be exchanged for a specified amount of money or for a specified commodity. Later also: (of a commodity, product, etc.) likely to produce a specified profit or return; (of an amount of money) sufficient to pay for a specified thing. Cf. good-for n. at Compounds 1c. [With use with reference to notes, bills, etc., compare French bon pour.]
ΚΠ
1776 F. Spilsbury Free Thoughts on Quacks App. 133 This Ticket good for — Bottles.
1844 T. B. Few Words Friendly Caution to Tories 89 The person who transfers the property considers the parties to the bill trustworthy, and therefore that the bill is good for the real value of that property.
1852 ‘A. Lothrop’ Dollars & Cents II. xxviii. 275 The box is handsome though—I guess it might be good for five dollars.
1873 J. H. Beadle Undeveloped West xviii. 337 From thirty to forty tons of ore.., good for an average profit of a hundred and fifty dollars per ton.
1885 Central Law Jrnl. 6 Mar. 182/1 He refused to show his ticket, and again showed a dollar, saying his money was good for a fare.
1905 Victorian Law Rep. (Supreme Court Victoria) 29 593 The bills were good for cash less discount at bank rate.
1959 E. Collier Three against Wilderness 328 If you caught a real small one with dark silky fur you could figure that the pelt was good for a hundred dollars anyways.
1997 C. Offutt Good Brother 152 Paper money used to be good for gold, but not since the thirties.
2003 Vanity Fair Dec. 212/1 By way of comparison, ‘plush’—stuffed animals, to laypeople—was good for $1.56 billion.
2004 P. E. Harmon Calico Starr: Wild Justice ix. 99 Five dollars was good for a bottle and some cigars.
(b) Of a person: that may be relied on to contribute or give a specified amount or quantity, or cover a specified cost.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > management of money > solvency > [adjective] > creditworthy > for so much
good1819
good-for1821
1819 J. H. Vaux New Vocab. Flash Lang. in Memoirs II. 178 A man who declares himself good for any favour or thing, means, that he has sufficient influence, or possesses the certain means to obtain it.
1846 W. M. Thackeray Let. ?Feb. (1945) II. 227 We shall have to put our hands in our pockets for poor honest Elizabeth. I..am good for a month £3.6.8.
1865 A. Trollope in Fortn. Rev. 1 Oct. 419 The porter..had taken his luggage eagerly, knowing that Mr. Belton was always good for sixpence.
1915 J. Buchan Thirty-nine Steps x. 204 He was a decent old fellow, who paid his bills regularly and was always good for a fiver for a local charity.
1959 P. H. Johnson Unspeakable Skipton x. 88 He's good for a thousand, probably. I shall want twenty per cent.
1962 J. Steinbeck Trav. with Charley iv. 217 His wife was a warm and friendly woman who was good for a piece of gingerbread any time we wanted to put the hustle on her.
1987 K. Vonnegut Bluebeard (1988) v. 45 I was good not only for the cost of drinks, but for rent.
2000 A. Bourdain Kitchen Confid. (2001) 139 He was always good for a few grand, as he did a bang-up business dealing coke to the employees.
d. With for. Likely to provide, elicit, or be the source of. Frequently in good for a laugh and variants: likely to amuse or entertain.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > mere amusement > [adverb]
of or on the spleenc1460
for love1678
for fun1750
for the fun of the thing1751
for the fun of it1823
good for a laugh1835
for the ride1863
(just) for the hell of it1908
pour le sport1924
for (the) shits and giggles (also grins)1983
1835 Neville Papers in J. B. Lewis N. Carolina Eng. (1939) 164 My Crop is good for 15 to 20 bails.
1855 N.-Y. Daily Times 21 June 1/5 An absurd story, forsooth, but good for a laugh.
1919 Bookman Feb. 705/2 ‘Ree-fined’, spoken thus on the stage, invariably brings a laugh; in vaudeville it is good for a guffaw.
1947 B. Rascoe We were Interrupted iii. 44 That arm of the law was always good for a yarn or two about his experiences.
1958 Washington Post 17 June b8/4 Orson Welles, always good for a quote, came up with this one for the French press [etc.].
1960 Daily Mirror 21 June 24/3 The pitch looks good for plenty of runs today.
1992 J. Critchley Floating Voter (BNC) 167 The Tories made for the conference in search of inspiration. Michael [Heseltine] was always good for a bit of uplift.
2007 M. Frost Match 5 He's musical, a good singer and a great dancer, a teller of tales, always good for a laugh.
2011 Mt. Airy (N. Carolina) News (Nexis) 13 Jan. She gets her hands on a lot of balls, scores seven to 12 points a game, and is usually good for three assists and three steals a game.
e. With for or (less commonly) to and infinitive: likely to last, survive, or endure for a specified period of time; having the strength or capacity to accomplish a given task.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > ability > able, capable, or competent [phrase] > for something
up to ——1785
good-for1821
good1893
the world > time > duration > [adjective] > long-lasting or enduring > safe to last a specific time
good-for1821
good1893
1841 C. Dickens Barnaby Rudge lxxix. 402 The people continuing to make a great noise without, and to cheer as if their voices were in the freshest order, and good for a fortnight.
1859 G. W. Dasent tr. P.C. Asbjørnsen & J. Moe Pop. Tales from Norse 205 The lassie said she was good to spin a pound of flax in four and twenty hours.
1893 F. M. Crawford Marion Darche I. 140 There is nothing in the world the matter with him; he is good for another twenty years.
1908 Christian Reg. (Boston) 13 Aug. 153 I felt sure I was good to last another twenty-four hours if my boat would hold out.
1938 W. H. Auden & C. Isherwood On Frontier ii. ii. 78 The arms race is good for another five years at least.
1954 I. Murdoch Under Net xii. 164 Lefty seemed good for another hour. He was really a remarkable speaker.
1992 Economist 18 Apr. 90/2 But continuing innovation and strict cost-control..have kept Swatch on a roll that analysts think looks good for a few years yet.
2012 M. A. Dunlop I was There v. iii. 451 Then you have to use the toilet when the water is on, because it's only good for flush.
†27. As the complement of a noun denoting a period of time: available; remaining. Obsolete.Some uses of sense A. 11b in regard to a quantity of time could be interpreted as this sense.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > incompleteness > part of whole > that which is left or remainder > [adjective]
remanent1443
remainant1445
remainingc1475
remnant1550
remainder1567
leftc1595
residual1609
residuous1626
reliqued1628
restant1663
good1684
reversionary1816
relict1898
1684 A. Behn Love-lett. between Noble-man & Sister 154 You have an hour good to write in Silvia, and I shall wait unimployed by any thing but thought.
1711 E. Budgell Spectator No. 77. ¶1 Will..pulled out his Watch, and told me we had seven Minutes good.
1749 Ld. Chesterfield Let. 16 Dec. (1932) (modernized text) IV. 1467 You have still two years good, but no more, to form your character.
1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones VI. xvi. x. 83 I suppose he hath not many Hours to live. As for you, Sir, you have a Month at least good yet. View more context for this quotation
B. n.
I. A good person, and related senses.
1. With plural agreement (usually with the). Good people as a class, esp. righteous, worthy, or morally virtuous people. Cf. the great and the good n. at great adj., n., adv., and int. Phrases 3a, the unco guid at unco adv. b.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > virtue > [noun] > virtuous or morally excellent person > collectively
goodOE
virtuousa1393
OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 2nd Ser. (Cambr. Gg.3.28) xii. 123 Gebiddað for eowerum ehterum..þæt ge beon eoweres fæder bearn..se ðe deð his sunnan scinan ofer ða yfelan and ofer ða godan.
OE tr. Theodulf of Orleans Capitula (Corpus Cambr.) xx. 325 Gif hwylc godra [L. fidelium] wile his lytlingas hiom [sc. the priests] to lare befæstan.
c1175 ( Homily (Bodl. 343) in S. Irvine Old Eng. Homilies (1993) 171 Ealle we sceolon on þam dæȝe, gode and yfele, on ure Drihten lokiæn.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 3578 Gode ȝeorrndenn himm to sen.
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 72 Þane dyaþ, þet is to þe guoden [c1450 Bk. Vices & Virtues goode men] beginnynge of liue, hi hit clepieþ þan ende.
a1425 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Galba) l. 25249 On domesday..þe euill sall fra þe gude be drawn.
a1500 (?a1400) Morte Arthur (1903) l. 2157 (MED) Grete pyte was on eyther syde So fele goode ther were layd downe.
1532 T. More Confut. Tyndale in Wks. 525/1 For penitentes are accompted among the good.
a1592 H. Smith Serm. (1637) 422 The good are knowne, because none but they which are good, strive to be better.
1623 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Henry VIII v. iv. 27 All Princely Graces..With all the Vertues that attend the good, Shall still be doubled on her. View more context for this quotation
1696 J. Cockburn Jacob's Vow ii. iv. 463 Let Men look abroad the World..and they shall find it generally true that the Children of the Good and Merciful have mett with singular Providences.
1709 M. Prior Poems Several Occasions 268 With Pow'r invested, and with Pleasure chear'd; Sought by the Good, by the Oppressor fear'd.
1746 T. Smollett Reproof 97 Sworn foe to good and bad, to great and small.
a1822 P. B. Shelley Death in T. J. Hogg Life Shelley (1858) I. 197 Where..the good cease to tremble at Tyranny's nod.
1846 A. Ballou Christian Non-resistance iv. 112 The question is, whether we shall preach non-resistance to the good, as well as non-aggression to the bad.
1911 Catholic Encycl. XI. 337/2 The good and the wicked shall receive the retribution each has merited.
1986 Times 28 May 7/5 A fraud trials tribunal made up of the good and godly.
2011 Daily Tel. 21 July 23/4 A friend..attended this year's Clinton Global Initiative in New York, a gathering of the great, the good and the vertiginously rich.
†2.
a. An excellent, righteous, or worthy person. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
eOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Otho) (2009) I. xxvi. 502 Ne mæg hine mon no mid rihte hatan se gooda [L. bonus] gif he bið ðæs hehstan goodes bedæled, forðæm nan good ðeaw ne bið buton goodum edleanum.
OE Beowulf (2008) 1595 Gomele ymb godne ongeador spræcon þæt hig þæs æðelinges eft ne wendon.
a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 1334 (MED) Þe messangeres..gretten hire godli whan þei þat gode seie.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) i. l. 2801 He was so full of veine gloire That he ne hadde no memoire That ther was eny good bot he.
b. Used as a respectful form of address. Cf. goodman n. 1. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > courtesy > courteous forms of address or title > [noun] > for people generally
gooda1413
gentles1591
a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1881) i. l. 1010 And good eke telle me þisse.
c1450 C. d'Orleans Poems (1941) 13 O pese, quod he now good y lust not rayle.
a1500 (a1450) Generides (Trin. Cambr.) l. 2770 (MED) Quod he, ‘now, good, tell me wherefore.’
a1593 C. Marlowe Tragicall Hist. Faustus (1604) sig. Ev But good, are you remembred how [etc.].
a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) i. i. 3 Good: Speake to th' Mariners. View more context for this quotation
3. Chiefly Scottish. (A title of) God. Frequently with the and capital initial.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > deity > Christian God > [noun] > as holy or good
holiesta1400
Holy One1535
Panaret1609
good1711
1711 J. Edwards Answer Dr. Whitby's Def. in Arminian Doctr. Condemn'd 186 Unless it were good that there should be Evil, it would by no means be permitted by him who is the Almighty Good.
1786 R. Burns Poems 200 I like the lasses—Gude forgie me!
1793 T. Scott Poems 340 The Guid watch owr us, sirs!
1814 H. F. Cary tr. Dante Vision III. viii. 37 The Good [It. Lo ben], that guides And blessed makes this realm, which thou dost mount.
1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb x Readin' namie chapters oot o' the Word o' Gweed.
1946 H. Reid Big Adventure 5 Here lies a Rid, who feared The Gude, But feared not the face o' man.
1995 A. Fenton Craiters ii. 61 Gweed kens faa pat it in—ah weel, no, Gweed kens an I ken, an it wisna me.
II. That which is good.
4.
a. That which is good or beneficial; that which is morally right or virtuous; righteousness. Frequently contrasted with evil.
(a) Without article.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > [noun] > that which is good
goodeOE
eOE King Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care (Hatton) (1871) xi. 65 Ðurh ða gesceadwisnesse we tocnawað good & yfel, & geceosað ðæt god, & aweorpað ðæt yfel.
OE Beowulf (2008) 956 Alwalda þec gode forgylde, swa he nu gyt dyde.
OE West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) xii. 35 God mann soþlice of godum goldhorde bringþ god forð [L. profert bona].
a1225 (c1200) Vices & Virtues (1888) 27 Na þing ne mai ðe ȝelimpen ne to-cumen neiðer ne euel ne god..bute al swo godd hit wile hem þoliȝen.
c1390 in C. Horstmann Minor Poems Vernon MS (1892) i. 247 He moste knowe vuel from goode.
R. Misyn tr. R. Rolle Fire of Love 90 Betwyx guyd and be-twix euyll.
1623 W. Capps in E. D. Neill Virginia Vetusta (1885) 129 I thinke God hath sent him in mercie for good to us.
1677 G. Miege New Dict. French & Eng. ii. sig. F2v/1 To bring a Child to know the difference betwixt good and evil.
1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 103 A certain Stupidity of Soul, without Desire of Good,..had entirely overwhelm'd me.
1756 T. Amory Life John Buncle I. xxvi. 132 The human race have a natural ability for good or evil, and are at liberty for the choice of either of these.
1813 P. B. Shelley Queen Mab iii. 39 He who leads Invincibly a life of resolute good.
1841 E. W. Lane tr. Thousand & One Nights I. 117 Remote from virtue or good.
1873 W. S. Tyler Hist. Amherst Coll. 444 A prayer-meeting on Sunday evening which..has become a power for good in the College.
1928 P. Grainger Let. 31 Jan. in All-round Man (1994) 91 Only if both you & he wished it & if you would think that course begetful of good.
1971 L. P. Davies Shadow Before xi. 128 We are all a mixture of good and evil, Jekyll and Hyde, if you like.
1990 B. Bettelheim Recoll. & Refl. ii. 125 Even in the most distant future, man's basic concerns will be the same: the struggle of good against evil.
2006 Independent 22 July 37/1 It is an axiom of modern politics that choice is always a force for good.
(b) Chiefly Philosophy. With the.In Platonic philosophy: spec. the abstract ideal of goodness, in which real things participate in being good, and which underlies knowledge and truth in the intelligible world.
ΚΠ
1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay Trewnesse Christian Relig. vi. 75 [Plato] calleth him the begotten Sonne of the Good.
1678 R. Cudworth tr. Emperor Julian in True Intellect. Syst. Universe i. iv. 275 This God, whether he ought to be called, that which is above Mind and Understanding..or else as Plato was wont to call him, the Good.
1744 G. Berkeley Siris (ESTC T72826) 243 Light and sight..are not the Sun: even so truth and knowledge are not the Good it self, although they approach thereunto.
1849 C. A. Brandis in W. Smith Dict. Greek & Rom. Biogr. & Mythol. III. 402/1 The idea of the good, as the ultimate basis both of the mind and of the realities laid hold of by it..is..more elevated than that of spirit or actual existence itself.
1868 Jrnl. Speculative Philos. 2 56/1 It is also plain that the true, life, the beautiful, the good, are the absolute.
1946 F. C. Copleston Hist. Philos. I. xx. 178 The Idea of the Good may rightly be said to transcend being, since it is above all visible and intelligible objects.
2002 F. I. Gamwell Democracy on Purpose iii. 134 One still might read each to say that pursuit of the good and pursuit of my good as an individual are always the same purpose.
b. The good aspect or part of anything; the good, virtuous, or beneficial qualities in something. Cf. goodness n. 5.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > [noun] > that which is good > in anything
goodnesslOE
good?1505
?1505 tr. P. Gringore Castell of Laboure (new ed.) sig. F.iii Thy gode and yll in a balaunce Shall be weyed at the day extreme.
1509 S. Hawes Pastime of Pleasure (1845) vi. 26 It is alwaye at mannes pleasaunce To take the good and caste the evyll under.
1670 G. Havers tr. G. Leti Il Cardinalismo di Santa Chiesa ii. iii. 182 Having grown to a capacity of penetrating into the good and bad of an affair.
1751 Universal Mag. July 7/1 Here we..have an opportunity to compare their opposite inclinations, their mutual faults, and their mistakes; and by the good and bad of former reigns be instructed in the knowledge of what men are.
1846 Abstr. Mass. School Returns 1845–6 143 Why not provide, in every schoolhouse, an outlet, by which the air that has been breathed, and out of which all the good has been got that can be, shall pass off.
1858 J. B. Norton Topics for Indian Statesmen 152 The absence of necessity for the measure, its many evils, and its little good.
1884 J. Ruskin Pleasures of Eng. 22 True knowledge of any thing or creature is only of the good of it.
1910 Amer. Poultry Jrnl. May 724/2 Do your part to get all the good from those eggs that is in them.
2008 L. Caldwell Good Liar vi. 44 Kate's luminous brown eyes that gazed at him with wonder, seeing only the good in him.
5. The welfare or benefit of a person, group, etc.; well-being, happiness, prosperity. Usually with possessive of of-phrase.common, public good: see the first element.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > advantage > [noun]
fremea700
redeeOE
noteeOE
goodOE
goodnessOE
framec1175
winc1175
bihevec1230
behoofc1275
advantagec1300
prowc1300
wellc1300
wainc1315
profita1325
bewaynec1375
vantagec1380
goodshipc1390
prewa1400
steada1400
benefice1426
vailc1430
utilityc1440
of availc1450
prevaila1460
fordeal1470
winning1477
encherishingc1480
benefit1512
booty1581
emolument1633
handhold1655
withgate1825
cui bono1836
the world > action or operation > advantage > [noun] > advantageous or beneficial quality > conducive to mental or moral well-being > that which is good, right, or virtuous
goodOE
OE Blickling Homilies 75 Drihtnes fet we magon smerian, gif we..on oþres gode beon swiþe gefeonde.
lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough interpolation) anno 1066 On his dæg wæs ealle blisse & ealle gode on Burh.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 6183 All þatt ȝho ȝeorneþþ wiþþ skill. To ȝunnkerr baþre gode.
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 27 Þe enuious ne may ysy þet guod of oþren nanmore þanne þe oule oþer þe calouwe mous þe briȝtnesse of þe zonne.
a1425 (a1400) Prick of Conscience (Galba & Harl.) (1863) l. 5210 I was hanged upon þe rode, Bytwen twa thefes for yhour gode.
1579 J. Knewstub Confut. Heresies f. 45v For his owne good and benefite.
1588 J. Udall True Remedie v. 86v The prophet..resolueth with himselfe, that though they regard not their owne good, yet will hee continue his care ouer them.
1611 B. Jonson Catiline iv. sig. I2 If he had employ'd Those excellent gifts..Vnto the good, not ruine of the State. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Othello (1622) ii. iii. 295 As the time, the place, the condition of this Countrey stands, I could heartily wish, this had not so befalne; but since it is as it is, mend it, for your own good . View more context for this quotation
1677 A. Yarranton England's Improvem. 100 I shall..joyn in any thing that may be for all our goods.
1773 O. Goldsmith She stoops to Conquer iv. 70 Were you not told to drink freely..for the good of the house?
1786 R. Burns Twa Dogs xxi, in Poems 17 In..some gentle Master…thrang a parliamentin, For Britain's guid his saul indentin.
1796 R. Bage Hermsprong I. xvi. 186 If I did not love you, as dear Solomon says, beyond the love of women, I could never consent to give you up, for your own good, to a rival.
1823 J. Keble Serm. (1848) iv. 86 Those who invent any project for the good of mankind, commonly entertain high hopes of the success of their invention.
1840 F. Marryat Poor Jack xliii. 315 You think no one knows any thing about you; but every thing has been discovered by me; and I cannot help thinking that it has been made known providentially, and for your good.
1863 ‘G. Eliot’ Romola II. viii. 81 Love does not aim simply at the conscious good of the beloved object.
1919 E. O'Neill Where Cross is Made in Moon of Caribbees (1923) 16 They say for his own good he must be taken away.
1943 P. Sturges Hail Conquering Hero in Five Screenplays (1986) 772 For the good of the party, for the good of the town and its war effort, for the good of the United States of America.
1991 E. P. Herring in M. A. Baer et al. Polit. Sci. in Amer. 37 We got him down to my office and put it up to him, you know, for the good of the cause.
2001 Total DVD Feb. 45/1 [She] still manages to find time to meddle in the love lives of those around her (for their own good of course).
6. The benefit or advantage gained by a person, group, etc., from a particular action or circumstance. Formerly also occasionally in plural.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > advantage > [noun] > resulting from something
goodeOE
fruitc1230
profit1340
usury1576
eOE tr. Orosius Hist. (BL Add.) (1980) vi. xxx. 148 He wearð on micelre untrumnesse & him to gehet monigne læce, & heora nan him ne mehte bion nane gode [OE Tiber. on nanum gode].
OE Vercelli Homilies (1992) xi. 225 Lufigen we nu þy geornlicor þas haligan dagas..þy we magon mycel god ussum sawlum on him gestrynan.
c1390 (c1303) R. Mannyng Handlyng Synne (Vernon) (1892) i. 216 (MED) His broþur hedde þe goodus of þe song.
c1450 Alphabet of Tales (1905) II. 300 Þis ass dyed, & þus for þer covatis none of þaim had gude on itt.
a1658 J. Durham Pract. Expos. X. Commandements (1675) 93 Not wishing and praying that others may have good of them [sc. the sacraments].
1766 Compl. Farmer at Dew The country people, willing to have some good of it [sc. Dew-butter], tried it on their children's foreheads, and it cured them of a scald-head.
1885 W. D. Howells Rise Silas Lapham vii. 116 The Colonel laughed the more. He was going to get all the good out of this.
1922 H. S. Curtis School Grounds & Play 16 If a boy brings his baseball to school, it is batted to pieces by 17 other boys, all of whom get as much good out of it as he does.
2004 R. Brodhead Good of this Place 5 The way to get the good of this place [sc. College] is to stretch yourself, to expose yourself to what you don't already know and aren't already good at.
7. Advantage, benefit; point, sense; use, utility.
a. In negative, interrogative, and conditional contexts.In Old English in partitive genitive singular as postmodifier.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > advantage > [noun] > advantage, purpose, or worthwhileness
goodeOE
worthwhile1848
worthwhileness1884
point1899
rewardingness1931
eOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Otho) (2009) I. viii. 418 Hwæt godes is s[e wela] ðonne, ðonne he [ne] mæg [þa] g[r]undleasan gitsunga [af]yllan þæs gitseres?
a1450 (c1410) Dives & Pauper (Douce 295) x. f. 216v In the bodyly fiȝt a man muste chesyn hym a good grounde & a pleyne place to feiȝtyn in for it is no good feityng in myris.
1534 W. Marshall tr. Erasmus Playne & Godly Expos. Commune Crede U ijv It is no good trustyng to this daungerous waterbanke.
?1608 S. Lennard tr. P. Charron Of Wisdome i. lix. 212 What good is it to a blind man, that his parents haue beene well sighted.
1619 W. Loe Mysterie Mankind 22 Indeede there is no good being any where else.
1701 N. Rowe Ambitious Step-mother iv. i. 1744 What is the good of Greatness but the Power.
1737 H. Bracken Farriery Improved xxxiv. 491 Where is the Good of putting down a long Train of Recipes.
1842 J. H. Newman Lett. & Corr. (1891) II. 396 There is no good telling you all this; but it relieves me to do so.
1868 G. W. Dasent Jest & Earnest (1873) II. 359 Those which follow you, what sort of things are they, and what good are they?
1874 J. T. Micklethwaite Mod. Parish Churches 212 If they [curtains] are heavy enough to be any good at all, they are a great obstruction to the entrance.
1886 ‘H. Conway’ Living or Dead ix I tried to get it from Claudine, but it was no good.
1937 M. Allingham Case of Late Pig i. 2 What's the good of me trying to give this place a bit of tone if you don't back me up?
1967 Computer Group News Jan. 7/1 These special-purpose metacompilers are not much good for anything but compiling.
1999 C. B. Divakaruni Sister of my Heart i. iii. 40 What's the good of money, didi, if I can't use it to make my own brother..happy?
2004 S. Quigley Run for Home (2005) viii. 127 It's no good getting yer knickers in a twist.
b. In affirmative contexts.
ΚΠ
1662 Duchess of Newcastle Playes Written To Rdr. sig. A4v Poets are like Preachers, some are more learned than others, and some are better Orators than others, yet from the worst there may be some good gained by them.
1747 J. Edwards Let. 4 Sept. in N.Y. Missionary Mag. (1800) 2 47 Their backslidings may be some good to them, they may receive some benefit by occasion of it, beyond what they would have received if the temptation had never happened.
1826 E. Irving Babylon II. viii. 265 No one will believe, in fact, more than he can understand; and that is generally as much as he can see the good of.
1875 G. W. Dasent Vikings III. 199 Then your feeling will be some good.
1944 H. Brown Walk in Sun v. 78 Ship him back where the steak grows on trees and the only noise is that of the sunset gun. He may be some good there, but he'll be through in the line.
2009 I. Weiss Looking Back ii. 9 She tried to make me see the good of an education.
III. A particular thing that is good or beneficial.
8.
a. Something advantageous to possess or worth attaining or pursuing; esp. (in early use) a benefit, blessing, or natural endowment bestowed by God; (later) a desirable end or goal. Chiefly in philosophical or theological discourse about ethics.Not common in singular use before 19th cent.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > [noun] > good thing
goodeOE
card1840
cheese1840
honey1848
casein1851
hon1896
eOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Otho) (2009) I. xx. 474 To þæm twæm, þæt is to þære saule & to þæm lichoman, belimpað ealle þas þæs monnes good, ge gastlicu ge lichomlicu.
OE Wærferð tr. Gregory Dialogues (Corpus Cambr.) (1900) iv. xxxiv. 311 Witodlice se welega wæs oncnawen fram Abrahame, þa þa he cwæð: þu onfenge manega god [L. bona] on eorþan in þinum life.
lOE tr. Honorius Augustodunensis Elucidarium in R. D.-N. Warner Early Eng. Homilies (1917) 141 Hwy synden þa lyðere mæn swa welige on wurlde..& þa gode mænn habbeð swa feola ermðen & byrstes ælces godes?
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 25 Þe guodes of grace byeþ uirtues and guode workes.
a1425 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Galba) l. 27587 Pride it es, if a man wend His gudes war noght of grace him send.
c1450 Speculum Christiani (Harl. 6580) (1933) 40 It largez the termes bothe of temperal gudys and of gostly.
1532 G. Hervet tr. Xenophon Treat. House Holde f. 3 Than..ye call those thinges goodes, that be profitable, and those thynges that be hurtefull be no goodes?
1583 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Serm. on Deuteronomie clxxi. 1063 To enter directly into the possession of all those goods which ly hidden from vs.
?1608 S. Lennard tr. P. Charron Of Wisdome i. v. 16 The goods of the body are Health, Beauty, Cheerfulnes, Strength, Vigor.
1656 J. Harrington Common-wealth of Oceana 3 The goods of the mind are natural or acquired virtues, as Wisdom, Prudence and Courage.
a1677 I. Barrow Wks. (1686) III. 313 Pleased with true goods, and displeased at real evils incident to us.
1709 R. Steele Tatler No. 49. ⁋6 Amanda's Relish of the Goods of Life, is all that makes 'em pleasing to Florio.
1785 T. Balguy Disc. Various Subj. 22 The goods of the mind..are not less empty.
1790 E. Burke Refl. Revol. in France 48 The institutions of policy, the goods of fortune, the gifts of Providence, are handed down, to us. View more context for this quotation
1825 J. Bentham Rationale Reward 113 Reward in its own nature is a good.
1865 ‘G. Eliot’ in J. W. Cross George Eliot's Life (1885) II. 400 Life..is a doubtful good to many.
1883 H. Spencer in Contemp. Rev. 43 8 The American, eagerly pursuing a future good, almost ignores what good the passing day offers him.
1893 J. Bonar Philos. & Polit. Econ. ii. vi. 127 In this way the great end was gained of giving to external goods the same security that nature has given to the goods of the mind.
1921 Jrnl. Philos. 18 229 The goods of life..are altered in moral quality by..the relations which they bear to other goods and bads.
1962 Jrnl. Bible & Relig. 30 192/1 It makes possible the achievement of a large variety of moral goods which would be impossible without it.
2002 Law & Philos. 21 401 Choice then becomes the sole arbiter between incommensurable goods..: it alone makes the pursuit of one good over others right for an individual.
b. With modifying adjective, as first, prime, etc.: the highest or pre-eminent end to which human action can be directed; esp. the ultimate goal according to which values and priorities are established in an ethical system. Usually in fixed collocations, as chief good at chief adj. 9, supreme good n. at supreme adj. and n. Compounds. Cf. summum bonum n.sovereign good: see sovereign adj. 2b.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > [noun] > highest good
goodeOE
highest goodeOE
sovereigna1340
summum bonum1563
supreme good1601
chief good1663
kalon1749
eOE Metres of Boethius (partly from transcript of damaged MS) (2009) xx. 46 Eart þe selfa [sc. God] þæt hehste good.
c1475 Antichrist & Disciples in J. H. Todd Three Treat. J. Wycklyffe (1851) p. cxviii (MED) Þis seiþ Ysodre in þe first boke of souereynest good.
1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay Trewnesse Christian Relig. iii. 28 The same one is called the onely good and the goodnesse it selfe.
1615 T. Overbury et al. New & Choise Characters with Wife (6th impr.) sig. K4 He is the first good to himselfe; in the next file, to his French Tailor.
1657 T. Brooks Apples of Gold iv. 135 God is the first being, the first good.
1698 J. Norris Pract. Disc. Divine Subj. IV. 187 God only is the true Good, End and Centre of all Rational Natures.
a1873 A. Ewing Relation of Knowl. to Salvation 11 in Present-day Papers on Prominent Questions in Theol. (1875) III. Ignorance of God, and therefore of the prime good.
1970 E. M. Smallwood tr. Philo Legatio ad Gaium (ed. 2) 54 Souls which have..been trained to contemplate the uncreated and the divine, the prime Good and Beautiful and Happy and Blessed.
2012 A. M. Ramos Dynamic Transcendentals 3 The goods that the person pursues must be proportionate to the One True Good.
†c. A personal quality, a virtue; a divinely given talent; a grace. Frequently in goods and graces. Obsolete. [With goods and graces , compare Middle French biens et graces (c1372 in the passage translated in quot. ?c1450, or earlier).]
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > aspects of faith > spirituality > grace > [noun]
goodOE
grace?c1250
OE Homily (Corpus Cambr. 162) in J. Bazire & J. E. Cross Eleven Old Eng. Rogationtide Homilies (1989) 47 Þreo and þrittig wintra on þyssum middanearde he wæs and æghwilces godes [altered to æghwilce gode; lOE Hatton 116 æghwylces godes] bysene he us onstealde.
OE Rule St. Benet (Corpus Cambr.) lxxi. 130 Hyrsumnesse god and dugu[ð] [L. oboedientiae bonum] þæt is a ðam abbode to gegearwienne and mid mycelre eaðmodnesse to gebeodenne.
c1225 (?c1200) St. Margaret (Bodl.) (1934) 14 Ah leue ȝe..o þe liuiende godd, mihti & meinful & euch godes ful.
a1425 J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) II. 18 Þis Goost anoyntide Crist wiþ goodis of grace as fulli as ony man myȝte be anoyntid.
?c1450 tr. Bk. Knight of La Tour Landry (1906) 91 No woman shulde be proude of the goodes and graces that God hathe sent her.
a1500 (?a1450) Gesta Romanorum (BL Add. 9066) (1879) 423 The blessid virgine asked of the deuyll, ‘say me, whethere þes iij. synnes, lechery, Couetese, and gloteny, mow be to-gedre in oon herte with these goodes, contricion, wepyng, and purpose of amendyng?’
1563 2nd Tome Homelyes Rogation Week i, in J. Griffiths Two Bks. Homilies (1859) ii. 474 The goods and graces wherewith they were indued in soule, came of the goodnesse of God only.
†d. An act of goodness, piety, or virtue; a good deed. Cf. to do a good to at Phrases 2d(a)(ii). Obsolete.In Old English also with reference to donations in alms to the church (see quot. eOE1); cf. sense B. 11.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > virtue > righteousness or rectitude > [noun] > right action or well-doing > the doing of good deeds > a good deed
goodeOE
gooddeedOE
goodnessOE
good workOE
almosec1330
benefit1377
goodshipa1393
alms-deed1425
alms?a1439
desert1563
eOE (Kentish) Charter: Lufu to Christ Church, Canterbury (Sawyer 1197) in F. E. Harmer Sel. Eng. Hist. Docs. 9th & 10th Cent. (1914) 8 Ic bidde..ðæm men ðe ðis land & ðis erbe hebbe et Mundlingham, ðet he ðas god forðleste oð wiaralde ende.
eOE King Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care (Hatton) (1871) lviii. 441 On oðre wisan sint to manienne ða ðe nan god ne onginnað [L. qui bona nec inchoant]; on oðre ða ðe hit onginnað, & no ne geendiað.
OE Blickling Homilies 73 Gemunon we symle þæt we þa god don þe us Godes bec læraþ, þæt is þonne, fæsten and halige wæccan, & ælmessylena æfter urum gemete.
?c1430 (c1400) J. Wyclif Eng. Wks. (1880) 31 (MED) A man owiþ to leue þe lasse good & do þe more.
1543 G. Joye George Ioye confuteth Winchesters Articles f. xviv Paul acknowlegeth himself & complayneth in his most perfeccion not to be able to do that good which he wold do, but to do that euill which he wold not do.
1606 G. W. tr. Justinus Hist. 38 a For which (as if he would be expeditious in this good) the Maisters of such workes were straight procured by proclamation.
1650 C. Massey Microcosmography 22 Oft did he beg of the Lord that he might live to do that good which either he had hitherto omitted; or his estate not permitted.
1669 G. Hutcheson Expos. Bk. of Job xxxiv. 488/2 When men have opportunity and hope of doing goods it should so much the more encourage them to goe on without wearying.
1700 J. Dryden Chaucer's Palamon & Arcite iii, in Fables 63 He seldom does a Good with good Intent.
1783 F. G. Waldron Contin. Ben Jonson's Sad Shepherd v. 104 Nor thanks, nor guerdon, gentle Robin Hood, Were due to me, though I had done this good.
9.
a. Personal property, possessions; esp. movable property. Cf. chattel n. 4.goods and chattels: see chattel n. 4c.
(a) In singular. Now rare.Some Middle English examples could alternatively be interpreted as showing an uninflected plural (cf. e.g. quot. a1225).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > possessions > [noun]
goodeOE
auchtOE
havingc1350
facultya1382
substancea1382
propertya1393
haviourc1400
suffisantee1436
aversc1440
propriety1442
livinga1450
goodess1523
gear1535
prog1727
eOE Metrical Dialogue of Solomon & Saturn (Corpus Cambr. 422) ii. 346 Ac forhwam næron eorð[we]lan ealle gode led [read gedæled] leodum gelice? Sum to lyt hafað, godes grædig.
OE Laws of Æðelstan (Corpus Cambr. 201) i. Prol. 146 Þæt ge ærest of minum agenum gode agifan ða teoðunga..& þa biscopas þonne þæt ilce don on heora agenum gode.
?a1160 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1137 Ne forbaren hi nouther circe ne cyrceiærd, oc namen al þe god ðat þarinne was.
a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 31 Swa þet ic mine oðre goð al ne fors-spende.
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 10193 Þe king þo, as vor wraþþe wod, let nime in is hond Alle þe erchebissopes god þat he vond in þis lond.
?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) 74 He knew noȝt þe thowsand part of his gude.
a1533 Ld. Berners tr. A. de Guevara Golden Bk. M. Aurelius (1546) sig. Cc.v The more goodde I hadde, the more couetous I was.
1556 W. Lauder Compend. Tractate Dewtie of Kyngis sig. B3 Ȝe suld not chuse thaim for yair blude Nor for thare ryches, nor thare gude.
1600 P. Holland tr. J. B. Marlianus Svmmary Topogr. Rome v. vi, in tr. Livy Rom. Hist. 1385 For feare least if they had gathered good, and heaped up a deale of gold, silver, and other riches, they should therby have given an occasion unto some for to lie in await to take their lives away.
1650 J. Trapp Clavis to Bible (Gen. xlvii. 14) 361 Misers will as easily part with their blood, as with their good.
1775 L. Baldwin Let. 3 Aug. in G. Washington Papers (1985) Revolutionary War Ser. I. 216 I would beg leave to ask..whether I might attemt to move the old wreck now on the ferry ways which greatly obstructs the Passenger in bringing up their good at Low water.
1873 R. Browning Red Cotton Night-cap Country iv. 259 Guardianship Of earthly good for heavenly purpose.
2004 G. Weaver Last Stands 16 ‘If you're going to pull stakes every time you get a wild hair, you shouldn't accumulate so damn much crap,’ Gary Lee says. ‘You mock my worldly good,’ I say.
(b) In plural with plural agreement.Usually collective in sense: the use as a count noun in quot. 1789 is now unusual.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > possessions > [noun] > personal or movable property
feec888
goodOE
chateus1297
moblea1325
farec1330
harness1340
gearc1380
plentiesc1384
goods and cattel1418
pelfa1425
testament1424
movables1428
personals1436
stuff1438
cattle1473
cabow1489
chattel1549
chattel personal1552
goods and chattels1576
luggage1624
corporeals1647
effects1657
chose1670
personalities1753
stock1776
plunder1780
personal effects1818
personalty1827
taonga1863
marbles1864
society > morality > virtue > [noun] > a virtue
goodOE
custOE
goodnessOE
mightOE
mightOE
thew?c1225
virtuec1225
gracea1393
OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Matt. xxv. 14 Homo..tradidit illis bona sua : monn..gesalde ðæm godo his.
OE Soul & Body II (1936) 55 Ne magon þe nu heonan adon hyrste þa readan, ne gold ne sylfor ne þinra goda nan.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Luke xvi. 1 He hadde wastid his goodis.
?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) 68 Him behufez gyffe hir a porcioun of his gudes.
a1475 J. Fortescue Governance of Eng. (Laud) (1885) 155 For euery man off þe land shal..ffare þe better in is body and all his godis.
1546 J. Heywood Dialogue Prouerbes Eng. Tongue i. xi. sig. Eiv He that hath plenty of goodes shall haue more.
a1572 J. Knox Hist. Reformation Scotl. in Wks. (1846) I. 402 The inquisitioun tane of all your guidis, movable and immovabill.
1588 ‘M. Marprelate’ Oh read ouer D. Iohn Bridges: Epist. 23 When Walde-graues goods was to be spoiled and defaced.
1641 Rastell's Termes de la Ley (new ed.) f. 49 The Civilians comprehend these things, and also lands of all natures and tenures under the word Goods, which is by them divided into Moovables and Immoovables.
1685 R. Baxter Paraphr. New Test. Matt. xxiv. 15–18 Stay not to save your Goods or Clothes.
1726 J. Ayliffe Parergon Juris Canonici Anglicani 84 When an Executor begins to meddle with the immoveable Estate, before he has seiz'd on the moveable Goods.
1789 J. Brand Hist. & Antiq. Newcastle II. 531 (note) Some disorderly persons broke and entered into a house..and took away and destroyed several goods.
1808 W. Selwyn Abridgem. Law Nisi Prius II. xix. 680 Before probate and before any seizure, the law adjudges the property of the goods of the testator in the executors.
1841 C. Dickens Old Curiosity Shop i. xii. 152 The goods being once removed, this house would be uncomfortable.
1867 S. Smiles Huguenots Eng. & Ireland viii. 191 Those who possessed goods and movables made haste to convert them into money.
1910 S. E. White Rules of Game vi. 203 He speaks of his ‘bed-roll’, and by that term means not only his sleeping equipment but often all his worldly goods.
1959 Earl Jowitt & C. Walsh Dict. Eng. Law II. 1205/1 Nam, naam, namium, the taking or distraining of another man's goods.
2004 Times of Zambia 10 July 1/4 He said police also recovered household goods and clothes worth millions of Kwacha which were stolen from the slain woman's home.
†(c) In plural with singular agreement. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1525 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles II. xxxiii. f. cxlviiiv/2 All their goodes was withdrawen in to the Castell.
1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus Apophthegmes f. 242 When his goodes was preised to bee sold [etc.].
1556 in J. G. Nichols Chron. Grey Friars (1852) 77 Alle the platte, coppys, vestmenttes, wyche drewe unto a gret gooddes for the behoffe of the kynges grace.
1660 D. Featley et al. Θρηνοικος (rev. ed.) xxxi. 363 His goods was carried away.
1728 Stamford Mercury 11 Jan. 15/1 At the said House the Copper, Brewing-Vessels, and some Houshold Goods is to be sold.
1796 Evangelical Mag. July 293 The goods is as follows:—Six spades, nine hammers, and 4,000 of nails.
†b. Money; an amount of money; (in plural) quantities of money; funds. See also marriage good n. at marriage n. Compounds 2. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > money > [noun]
silverc825
feec870
pennieseOE
wortheOE
mintOE
scata1122
spense?c1225
spendinga1290
sumc1300
gooda1325
moneya1325
cattlec1330
muckc1330
reasona1382
pecunyc1400
gilt1497
argentc1500
gelta1529
Mammon1539
ale silver1541
scruff1559
the sinews of war1560
sterling1565
lour1567
will-do-all1583
shell1591
trasha1592
quinyie1596
brass1597
pecuniary1604
dust1607
nomisma1614
countera1616
cross and pilea1625
gingerbreada1625
rhinoa1628
cash1646
grig1657
spanker1663
cole1673
goree1699
mopus1699
quid1699
ribbin1699
bustle1763
necessary1772
stuff1775
needfula1777
iron1785
(the) Spanish1788
pecuniar1793
kelter1807
dibs1812
steven1812
pewter1814
brad1819
pogue1819
rent1823
stumpy1828
posh1830
L. S. D.1835
rivetc1835
tin1836
mint sauce1839
nobbins1846
ochre1846
dingbat1848
dough1848
cheese1850
California1851
mali1851
ducat1853
pay dirt1853
boodle?1856
dinero1856
scad1856
the shiny1856
spondulicks1857
rust1858
soap1860
sugar1862
coin1874
filthy1876
wampum1876
ooftish1877
shekel1883
oil1885
oof1885
mon1888
Jack1890
sploshc1890
bees and honey1892
spending-brass1896
stiff1897
mazuma1900
mazoom1901
cabbage1903
lettuce1903
Oscar Asche1905
jingle1906
doubloons1908
kale1912
scratch1914
green1917
oscar1917
snow1925
poke1926
oodle1930
potatos1931
bread1935
moolah1936
acker1939
moo1941
lolly1943
loot1943
poppy1943
mazoola1944
dosh1953
bickies1966
lovely jubbly1990
scrilla1994
a1325 (c1280) Southern Passion (Pepys 2344) (1927) l. 27 Mony men oure lord ȝaf goed.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) l. 19054 Petur & Ion þei bi him ȝode And he bad of hem som gode.
1419 in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1827) 2nd Ser. I. 73 (MED) Thay kepe this good emonge thaim selven and bien avysed to sende the Dolfyn no parte therof.
c1454 in H. Anstey Epistolae Academicae Oxon. (1898) I. 324 (MED) We have..a scole of divinite in bildyng..the wyche worke we be not suffycient of goodes of the seide Universyte to fynishe.
a1475 J. Fortescue Governance of Eng. (Laud) (1885) 137 Thai haue no wepen, nor armour, nor good to bie it with all.
1519 Sir T. Boleyn in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1824) 1st Ser. I. 155 It hath cost hym [sc. Charles V] a greyt good to atteyn to this Empire.
1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. cxlv. 172 The siege..had coste hym..moche good.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Edward V f. xxv The thynge..that you would have geuen greate good for.
†c. In plural. Livestock. Obsolete (English regional (northern) in later use).Formerly also (Scottish) as collective singular (see e.g. quot. 1502).Quot. eOE shows a compound feoh-gōd (see fee n.1), apparently in sense ‘property consisting of livestock’, although (on the assumption that a preceding & may have been lost) an antithetical sense ‘property other than livestock, valuables, money' (cf. sense B. 9b) has also been suggested.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > domestic animal > [noun] > livestock
feec900
auchtOE
orfOE
avers1292
storea1300
bestialc1350
cattlea1400
ware1422
quickc1450
goods1472
stock?1523
chattel1627
live goods1635
team1655
creature1662
livestocka1687
living stock1690
farming stock1749
farm animal1805
fat-stock1881
eOE Laws of Ælfred (Corpus Cambr. 173) xviii. §1. 60 Gif beweddodu fæmne hie forlicgge.., mid lx scillingum gebete þam byrgean, & þæt sie on cwicæhtum feogodum.]
1472 Extracts Rec. in W. Chambers Charters Burgh Peebles (1872) 168 Thai sal kep the sayd hill..fra all bestis and gudis bot hors and calwys.
1502 in A. Peterkin Rentals Earldom & Bishoprick of Orkney (1820) i. 15 The tennentis..sall have alsmeikle fredome to lay alsmekill guid thairon..as the ground may guidlie bear.
1508 in R. Pitcairn Criminal Trials Scotl. (1833) I. 58* [Of shutting up her] gudis [..without] pindande [them in a] pyndfalde.
1562 in J. Stuart Extracts Council Reg. Aberdeen (1844) I. 341 In casting of fewall or pasturing of guidis.
a1642 H. Best Farming & Memorandum Bks. (1984) 36 The shortest and most leavy hey is allwayes accounted the best for any goodes and especially for sheepe and younge foales and calves.
1653 in Quarter Sessions Rec. (N. Riding Rec. Soc.) (1887) V. 139 A man of Gaile for his goods eatinge up the grasse in a close.
1796 W. Marshall Provincialisms E. Yorks. in Rural Econ. Yorks. (ed. 2) II. 323 Goods, livestock.
1866 1st Rep. Commissioners Cattle Plague 117/2 in Parl. Papers XXII. 1 We have six very large slaughter-houses capable of slaughtering from 200 to 300 head of cattle, besides small goods.
10.
a. Things that are produced for sale; commodities and manufactured items to be bought and sold; merchandise, wares; (in Middle English) spec. crops; produce. Now also (Economics): economic assets which have a tangible, physical form (contrasted with services). Also figurative.bale-, brown, dry, fancy, green, grey, morning, narrow, piece-, soft, white goods, etc.: see the first element.
†(a) In singular. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > merchandise > [noun]
warec1000
warec1000
cheapingc1200
chaffer1297
gooda1300
merchandisec1300
harnessc1386
pennyworths1403
haberdashery1419
merchandya1425
mercimonyc1460
merchantyc1485
merchandrise?1495
haberdasha1529
traffic1533
chaffery1535
trade1645
Manchester goods1705
stuff1708
sundries1740
business model1832
Manchester1920
tradables1921
durable1930
society > trade and finance > merchandise > [noun] > an article or kind of
gooda1300
assizec1300
merchandise?a1425
commodity1429
commodie1575
parcel1612
article1618
pitch1866
ware1881
a1300 in C. Brown Eng. Lyrics 13th Cent. (1932) 81 (MED) Þe mon þat her no god [c1300 Arun. gud] ne sowet, wen oþer repen he worth bikakt [MS bikert].
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 9 (MED) Plente me may in engelond of alle gode [a1400 Trin. Cambr. goude] ise.
a1475 J. Fortescue Governance of Eng. (Laud) (1885) 135 He takith no thynge off thair graynes, wolles, or off any other gode þat growith to hem off thair lande.
c1515 Ld. Berners tr. Bk. Duke Huon of Burdeux (1882–7) xlviii. 160 They..had myche good in theyr shyppe.
(b) In plural.
ΚΠ
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) ii. l. 2126 To voide with a soubtil hond The beste goodes of the lond And bringe chaf and take corn.
?a1425 (c1400) Mandeville's Trav. (Titus C.xvi) (1919) 27 (MED) It doth gret harm to the godes þat ben vpon the lond.
1572 T. Wilson Disc. Vsurye f. 90v Hee that buiyeth thinges of one sorte verie cheape, to selle the same goodes in the same kynde dearer, cannot be of the clergy.
1617 F. Moryson Itinerary i. 32 Horsemen..which conduct the Merchants and their goods out of the Frontiers.
1631 W. Bradford Hist. Plymouth Plant. (1856) 293 They had much adoe to have their goods delivered, for some of them were chainged, as bread & pease.
1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 47 The Whale (of which he was Captaine) rich laden with his Masters and his owne goods.
1705 London-bawd (ed. 3) i. 1 She sets up for a Procurer of fresh Goods for her old Customers.
1706 A. Pope Let. 10 Apr. in Corr. (1956) I. 16 The great dealers in Wit, like those in Trade, take least Pains to set off their Goods.
1729 N. Tindal tr. P. Rapin de Thoyras Hist. Eng. IX. xvii. 134 Provisions and Ammunition carried to one of the warring Powers were contraband Goods.
1751 S. Whatley England's Gazetteer at Bewdley Iron ware, glass, Manchester goods, &c. are put on board barges here.
1812 Norfolk (Va.) Herald 29 May 314 Federalists call the troops now raising ‘a standing army’. They are mistaken in the goods.
1833 H. Martineau Loom & Lugger i. i. 10 As long as French goods were to be had better for the same money.
1842 J. Bischoff Comprehensive Hist. Woollen Manuf. II. 195 I mean by a domestic manufacturer, a man who makes his goods in his own house or shop.
1879 Manch. Guard. 28 Jan. The plaintiff did not complain of the goods having been sized, but of the mode in which they had been sized.
1926 Economist 9 Oct. 576/2 This credit is passed on by the sellers of the goods either to banks..or to one of the many ‘finance’ companies.
1988 Which? Nov. 528/2 If the goods don't turn up on time, you can cancel the contract and ask for your money back.
2011 Independent 15 Feb. (Viewspaper section) 6/3 A plethora of ‘charities’ whose sole purpose is providing goods and services to other charities.
(c) Chiefly Economics and Business. As a singular count noun: a particular item, commodity, or asset of this kind.
ΚΠ
1898 E. T. Devine Economics v. 77 A good, or commodity, is the material substance in which a utility or a group of utilities is embodied.
1936 Q. Jrnl. Econ. May 436 All that follows will hold true of any storable good, like cotton, wool, rubber, tobacco, wheat, coffee, sugar, oil, copper, or tin; but the theory will be expounded in terms of only one of these, namely cotton, because it is easier to deal with a particular case.
1964 J. Gould & W. L. Kolb Dict. Social Sci. 533/1 Complexities arise from many sources. For example, the existence of stocks of goods which might have to be reduced in some amount before additional resources were guided to the favoured good were ignored.
1992 Economist 26 Dec. 94/1 The essence of a luxury good is its exclusivity.
2001 Govt. Finance Statistics Man. (Internat. Monetary Fund) vi. 70/2 The subsidy may be a specific amount of money per unit or quantity of a good or service.
b. Chiefly British. In plural.
(a) Commodities, merchandise, etc., (as distinct from passengers) to be transported by road, rail, etc.; freight. See also Compounds 2b.
ΘΚΠ
society > trade and finance > merchandise > [noun] > goods shipped or suitable for shipping
good1615
shipper1883
1615 G. Sandys Relation of Journey ii. 140 The chiefe of them [sc. the Arabs]: who vpon the paiment of a certaine taxe, secured both goods and passengers.
1720 in Colonial Rec. Pennsylvania (1852) III. 112 Preventing Sickly Vessels from discharging their goods or passengers.
1769 W. Falconer Universal Dict. Marine (1789) Tract-scout, a vessel employed to carry goods or passengers up and down the rivers or canals.
1826 New-Harmony (Indiana) Gaz. 22 Mar. 207/1 After landing the goods and passengers, the boat immediately proceeded on her trip..up the river... The boat may be expected here, on her return trip, on Saturday.
1850 D. Lardner Railway Econ. 481 Mixed trains, by which goods and passengers are indifferently carried.
1883 J. Gilmour Among Mongols xxxii. 368 Goods are transported on carts drawn by lively horses.
1885 Act 48 & 49 Vic. c. 41 §17 Any harbour..at which vessels can..ship or unship goods or passengers.
1961 F. H. Burgess Dict. Sailing 85 Ferry,..any boat employed in ferrying goods and passengers.
1989 Freight Guide Apr. 7/2 Total goods handled came to 96,906,590 tonnes.
2004 Times Lit. Suppl. 6 Aug. 7/1 The Grosvenor , East Indiaman, homeward bound, fully laden with goods and passengers, ran aground during a storm on the Wild Coast of south-east Africa.
(b) Short for goods train n. at Compounds 2b. Cf. freight n. 4.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > rail travel > rolling stock > [noun] > train > goods train
goods train1832
freight train1845
good1855
freight1861
1855 Punch 29 163/2 Each player is furnished with a small railway train, such as an ‘express’, a ‘stopping’, a ‘goods’.
1868 T. Wright Great Unwashed ii. 198 After the ‘through goods’, perhaps, comes the fiery wi-sh-sh of the night mail north.
1939 Punch 20 Sept. 310/2 I said couldn't they go by goods.
1967 A. La Guma Walk in Night 128 There's an empty goods going through here round about seven.
c. In plural. With the. Stolen items or objects found in someone's possession, providing obvious evidence of guilt; (by extension) incriminating evidence or information; conclusive proof of guilt. Chiefly in to catch (a person) with the goods, to pin the goods on. See also to get the goods on at Phrases 7b.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > court proceedings or procedure > evidence > [noun] > incontrovertible or incriminating
goods1771
corpus delicti1922
smoking pistol1974
1771 Bingley's Jrnl. 18 May Pursuit was made, and a woman caught with the goods upon her.
1833 P. Bingham Rep. Court Common Pleas 9 382 The mere intermediate hand is not responsible unless he be caught with the goods.
1851 T. J. Grover Plough & Harrow Addr. 7 Both proper cases to be tried on the ground where they were caught with the goods upon them and evidences fresh.
1900 G. Ade More Fables 94 I insist that he is an American traveling Incog. I suspect that I have Caught him with the Goods.
1918 A. Stringer House of Intrigue iii. 54 But they had him with the goods on.
1919 Detective Story Mag. Nov. 50 Detective Craddock had informed Thubway Tham that, sooner or later, he was going to ‘catch him with the goods’.
1922 Progressive Grocer May 24/1 Sally Lou had a hunch that all was not well and yet she couldn't pin the goods on anybody.
1973 J. Rubinstein City Police iv. 168 He closes in quickly to ‘get the goods’ before they are consumed.
2006 J. London Into Temptation ii. 30 You won't want to be called in for questioning whether or not they can pin the goods on you.
d. Originally U.S. In plural. With modifying adjective: a person or animal considered with regard to qualities, ability, or fitness for a particular purpose; an object, material, etc., considered in the same way. Cf. Phrases 7.Cf. earlier use of fresh goods with reference to prostitutes: see, e.g., quot. 1705 at sense B. 10a(b).
ΘΚΠ
the world > people > person > [noun] > as having character or qualities
thingc1225
headc1300
vesselc1384
soul1498
sprite?1507
spirit1559
stick1682
character1749
fish1751
hand1756
subject1797
person1807
good1809
specimen1817
a (bad, good, etc.) sortc1869
proposition1894
cookie1913
type1922
city1946
1809 J. Mackcoull Abuses of Justice 113 Good luck to Chapman! he's good goods.
1874 Hotten's Slang Dict. (rev. ed.) 179 Goods, in the sporting world, men or horses. A horse or man of exceptionable quality is called ‘good goods’, and a backer will speak of either as being in his opinion ‘best goods’, as compared with others in the race.
1880 A. A. Hayes New Colorado (1881) vii. 103 When the mariner heard an expert, who was chipping away at the wall with a little hammer, remark, ‘That's good goods,’ this purist stopped both ears.
1960 G. Morrill Dark Sea Running iii. 158 See the strawberry blonde? She's nice goods.
1995 R. H. W. Dillard tr. Plautus Little Box iv. ii, in Plautus Comedies IV. 224 She's bad goods, madam, and sly, too.
e. U.S. In plural, with singular agreement. Textile fabric; cloth. Cf. dry goods n., yard goods n. at yard n.2 Compounds 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > textiles and clothing > textiles > textile fabric or an article of textile fabric > textile fabric > [noun]
workeOE
draperya1300
cloth1377
toilec1440
ware1442
stuff1604
drape1665
fabric1753
kain1783
good1831
material1848
1831 City Gaz. & Commerc. Daily Advertiser (Charleston, S. Carolina) 2 Mar. (advt.) The Junior Partner of a Northern House..will close the remainder of a valuable invoice of French and Irish Goods, on very advantageous terms, and in quantities to suit purchasers. The above, comprise a rich variety of Dress Goods, for the street, and for evening parties.
a1877 E. H. Knight Pract. Dict. Mech. III. 2432/1 Stuff, an all-wool plain dress goods for ladies.
1920 L. Harmuth Dict. Textiles (ed. 2) 59/1 Epingle,..a silk dress goods made with such rib effect.
1985 Senegal: Post Rep. (U.S. Dept. of State) (rev. ed.) 11/1 A large selection of both imported and African yard goods is available, including: men's wear, shirtings, synthetic blend dress goods, some silks, cottons, knits, and drapery and upholstery fabrics.
f. Originally U.S. slang. In plural. With the. That which is required or expected; the relevant material, articles, etc. Chiefly in to deliver (also come up with, produce) the goods at Phrases 7a, to be the goods at Phrases 7c.
ΚΠ
1900 G. Ade Fables in Slang 4 Reverence—well, when it comes to Reverence, you're certainly There with the Goods!
1918 E. M. Roberts Flying Fighter 35 Some of the road pickets would want to see our identification papers as dispatch riders, and being unable to produce the goods we were often turned back.
1991 S. J. Gould Bully for Brontosaurus ix. 145 Science is tested evidence, not tall tales. This lamentable mode of storytelling has used to illustrate Darwin's principle of functional shift only faute de mieux—because we didn't have the goods so ardently desired.
2010 J. D. Stein How Math can save your Life iv. 63 Make your opponent think you could be running a bluff so that he will call your large bet when you actually have the goods.
g. slang (originally U.S.). In plural. The facts of the matter; the truth. Cf. earlier straight goods n. at straight adj., n., and adv. Compounds 1c.
ΚΠ
1901 G. V. Hobart John Henry 16 It isn't poetical..but it's the goods.
1963 R. Serling Twilight Zone (TV script) This whole thing is strictly an illusion. That's the goods, it's an illusion!
2006 D. Flinthart in C. Sparks Agog! (ed. 2) 70 You never disappoint, Mister C. That's the goods, that is.
†11.
a. A gift; a reward. See also God's good n. 2. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > giving > gift or present > [noun] > something of value received as
gooda1375
gift1796
a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 2254 (MED) He schold winne his wareson to welde for euere þurh þe grete god of gold þat him bi ȝiue schold.
1424 in H. Nicolas Proc. & Ordinances Privy Council (1834) III. 150 (MED) The Kynges sergeantes to be sworin..to yeve the poore man..assistence and trewe counsail..with oute eny good takyng of hym.
c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 2683 (MED) As soiet serued haue I þat sire many sere wyntir, And all my trauaill I tint, for tuke I no gudes.
a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. xxvii. 364 For to sowpe we make vs bowne Now of oure fode; We haue enogh, sir, bi my crowne, Of Godys goode.
b. Alms. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > social attitudes > philanthropy > [noun] > charitableness or alms-giving > that which is given in charity
almsOE
almosec1330
charity1362
almousc1390
pittancea1425
common dole1463
goodc1475
almoignc1480
God's penny1550
sportula1606
basket-dole1618
trencher-fee1652
basket-alms1660
sedekah1839
poke-out1874
handout1882
gate-alms1896
c1475 (?c1425) Avowing of King Arthur (1984) l. 758 Pore men hade þayre gode, Mete and drinke or þay ȝode.
a1500 (?c1400) Earl of Toulous l. 386 in W. H. French & C. B. Hale Middle Eng. Metrical Romances (1930) I. 395 (MED) The Erle knelyd down..And askyd gode.
a1500 (?c1400) Sir Triamour (Cambr.) (1937) l. 1306 (MED) A palmer..askyd hym gode for charyte.
12. Brewing and Distilling. In plural. The crushed grains of malt in the mash.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > drink > manufacture of alcoholic drink > malting > [noun] > malt > crushed malt in tun
good1693
1693 G. Ward Gauger's Pract. 81 But the goods or grains of indifferent Malt, and of indifferent Grinding, when three worts have passed through it, it is more Compact by about a Sixth part.
1743 W. Ellis London & Country Brewer (ed. 2) III. 193 That Ale which is made only from Goods (i.e. after a first Wort is run off the Malt) must..be unpleasant and unwholesome.
?1768–9 Encycl. Brit. (1771) I. 669/2 After the stiff and second mash, they cap the goods with fresh malt, to keep in the spirit.
1835 W. Black Pract. Treat. Brewing 36 Dip a thermometer into the goods on the mash-tun.
1910 Encycl. Brit. IV. 511/1 One-third of the mash (including the ‘goods’) is transferred to the Maisch Kessel (mash copper).
1971 J. S. Hough et al. Malting & Brewing Sci. x. 261 Other rotating machinery within the mash tun comprises sparge arms (which are moved by water pressure) for spraying liquor evenly over the goods.
2006 D. Hughes Bottle of Guinness Please iii In 1838 mechanical rakes were introduced to do the mixing in the mash tun, before the goods were left to stand.
C. adv.Adverbial use is also found in the later development of the phrase as good (see Phrases 4a(b)); cf. well adv. and n.4 Phrases 2c.
1. Modifying a verb.
a. In a satisfactory, adequate, or effective manner; well. Now chiefly North American colloquial.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > dueness or propriety > [adverb]
rightlyeOE
arightc970
rightOE
properly?c1225
goodc1275
rightfully1340
truly1340
tallya1375
featlya1400
rekenlyc1400
communablya1425
fitc1440
accordantlyc1443
accordinglyc1443
justilyc1450
seemingly1483
fitlyc1550
conveniently1569
arightly1588
legitimately1593
fittinglya1643
legitimously1657
honest-like1807
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 4547 Swa ich mote gode iþeon.
c1400 J. Wyclif On the Seven Deadly Sins (Bodl. 647) in Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) III. 130 (MED) And gode marke how Crist..bad his gostly knyghtis go in to al þo world.
a1500 in Englische Studien (1885) 8 279 (MED) Sum faire faryng man that cowde good Lumbard, Greke, Sarasyne and Turkesse.
1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry iii. f. 123v Garter each legge immediatly one handfull aboue the knee with a liste, good and hard.
1641 J. Tombes Christs Commination against Scandalizers iv. 306 How dost thou by such stumbling incommodate thy selfe! Thou mightest learne good by thy stronger brother.
1735 S.-Carolina Gaz. 10 May 3/1 To be Lett a House and Garden on Asley Ferry very convenient for a Tavern, which has been kept there some time, and is very good accustomed.
1838 C. Gilman Recoll. Southern Matron 32 We will behave. We will behave good.
1840 Southern Literary Messenger 6 386/1 She used to tap her with it on the hands, when she behaved bad, or did not say her lesson good.
1857 F. L. Olmsted Journey through Texas ii. 59 ‘What kind of a piece is that in that case?’ ‘A short rifle.’ ‘Will she shoot good?’ ‘Yes.’
1904 W. N. Harben Georgians 119 I stayed all day an' looked about good before I traded.
1946 K. Tennant Lost Haven (1947) vi. 89 We're doing pretty good.
1971 Observer 21 Nov. (Colour Suppl.) 65/1 If he makes it [sc. steel] good, it rolls good. [Steelworks in Cumberland.]
2000 T. Clancy Bear & Dragon lx. 989 He raised us pretty good, and it was pretty tough on him after Mom died.
b. colloquial (originally and chiefly U.S.). Thoroughly, totally; completely, altogether. Usually with reference to destructive events or unpleasant experiences.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > wholeness > completeness > [adverb] > completely or thoroughly
welleOE
furtherlyc1175
through and through?1316
perfectlya1400
radically?a1425
roundly?a1425
substantiallya1425
perfectc1425
thoroughly1442
substantiallyc1449
throughlya1450
naitlyc1450
through1472
surely?a1475
cleanc1475
through stitch1573
fundamentally1587
down1616
perfectedly1692
minutely1796
homea1825
good1834
rotten1840
out1971
full on1979
1834 D. Crockett Narr. Life xii. 86 I..shot him [sc. a bear] the third time, which killed him good.
1865 in S. E. Morison Oxf. Hist. U.S. (1927) II. 318 Columbia!—pretty much all burned; and burned good.
1885 W. L. Alden Adventures Jimmy Brown 90 The bee..lit on Tom's hand and stung him good.
1887 F. Francis Saddle & Mocassin vii. 131 I'll fix them—and fix them good while I'm about it.
1901 S. E. White Westerners xv. 113 He'd have trimmed th' little cuss good.
1962 J. Ludwig in R. Weaver Canad. Short Stories (1968) 2nd Ser. 258 She stunk up that ritzy dress shop good.
2005 M. M. Frisby Wifebeater x. 64 He faked her out real good.
2. Modifying an adverb or predicative adjective as an intensifier: very, extremely; fully, utterly; = right adv. 7. Cf. sense A. 12a, A. 12c. Now regional.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > quantity > greatness of quantity, amount, or degree > high or intense degree > [adverb] > very
tooc888
swith971
wellOE
wellOE
fullOE
rightc1175
muchc1225
wellac1275
gainlya1375
endlyc1440
hard?1440
very1448
odda1500
great1535
jolly1549
fellc1600
veryvery1649
gooda1655
vastly1664
strange1667
bloody1676
ever so1686
heartily1727
real1771
precious1775
quarely1805
murry1818
très1819
freely1820
powerfula1822
gurt1824
almighty1830
heap1832
all-fired1833
gradely1850
real1856
bonny1857
heavens1858
veddy1859
canny1867
some1867
oh-so1881
storming1883
spanking1886
socking1896
hefty1898
velly1898
fair dinkum1904
plurry1907
Pygmalion1914
dinkum1915
beaucoup1918
dirty1920
molto1923
snorting1924
honking1929
hellishing1931
thumpingly1948
way1965
mega1966
mondo1968
seriously1970
totally1972
mucho1978
stonking1990
a1655 N. L'Estrange in W. J. Thoms Anecd. & Trad. (1839) 50 Having a fellow before him good refractorie and stubborne.
a1655 N. L'Estrange in W. J. Thoms Anecd. & Trad. (1839) 59 They..good fiercely began to trusse up.
a1655 N. L'Estrange in W. J. Thoms Anecd. & Trad. (1839) 74 A sturdie vagrant..begged good-saucily on Sir Drue Drurie.
1874 Monthly Packet May 486 [Norfolk] ‘Good tidy’ or ‘good tidily’ means very—‘They grow right tidily’, or ‘good tidily’; ‘He's good tidily bad’, for, He is very bad.
1900 Eng. Dial. Dict. II. 680/1 [Suffolk] He fares good tidy.
1940 M. Haun Hawk's done Gone xii. 253 I went to bed just as it got good dark.
1971 D. Samaroo in B. Howes From Green Antilles 57 These people in Trinidad good wutless, you know.
D. int.
Used as an exclamation expressing satisfaction, approval, or agreement. Also reduplicated. Cf. goodo int.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > [interjection]
good1591
goodo1912
1591 J. Lyly Endimion ii. ii. sig. D Fauil. You will be mine elder, because you stande vppon a stoole, and I on the flowre. Sam. Good, good.
1616 B. Jonson Epigrammes xxxviii, in Wks. I. 778 You clap your hands, and rore, And crie good! good!
1678 T. D'Urfey Trick for Trick iv. i. 35 Good, good, i'faith, ha, ha, ha.
1761 F. Sheridan Mem. Miss Sidney Bidulph II. 90 Good!! good! thought I.
1799 tr. G. E. Lessing School for Honor iv. ii. 63 Good, good; I can make myself understand. Sachez donc, Mademoiselle. Miladi must know that I come from the table of the secretaire.
1807 Salmagundi 19 Sept. 282 Good, thought I,..there could not be a more important subject of investigation.
1827 B. Disraeli Vivian Grey III. v. xii. 231 It's a promise:—good.
1885 H. R. Haggard King Solomon's Mines x. 162 ‘Good! good! good!’ answered that aged Iniquity.
1969 A. Bennett Forty Years On ii. 61 Good, well I think that clears up any doubts you might have had on that particular subject.
1992 P. McCabe Butcher Boy (1993) 17 How's your father? he says. The best I says, never better. Good good, he says.
2001 J. Murphy Two Plays i. 30 Good, I'm glad to hear it, glad to hear she's okay.

Phrases

P1. to make good.
a. To put right a deficiency.
†(a) intransitive. To compensate or atone for. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1872) IV. 103 (MED) Þe senatoures spended suche foure money as þey were woned..as it were forto make good for þe cherles trespas.
1423 Guildhall Let.-bk. in R. W. Chambers & M. Daunt Bk. London Eng. (1931) 112 (MED) Þat euereche seke man..fallen in suche pouerte þat he sufficeth nat to make good for þe labours of his Phisician, or of his Cirurgean, [etc.].
1810 Splendid Follies II. 7 I like to make good for the trumpeters, and blow up such a tune as would collect a gaping multitude from a mile distant.
(b) To repay (something that is owed); to pay for; (more generally) to compensate or atone for.
(i) transitive.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > relationship > equality or equivalence > make equal [verb (transitive)] > compensate or make up for
restorea1325
to make good1389
boot1393
rewarda1398
supplya1398
to make up1472
upset1513
to fetch again1535
redeem1590
balance1594
pay1596
unpay1600
to make out1610
requitea1613
to pay home1625
encourage1628
compensate1646
compensate1656
reprise1662
to take up1662
to fetch up1665
to pay off1717
indemnify1750
to bring up arrears1788
equalize1866
reparate1956
1389 in R. W. Chambers & M. Daunt Bk. London Eng. (1931) 49 Þat alle þe costages that be mad aboute hym be mad good of þe box.
c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. xvii. l. 77 What he speneth more I make þe good here-after.
1480 in H. E. Malden Cely Papers (1900) 36 To make good all the costes and lossys that shall happon.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) Luke xii. f. xcviijv I tell the thou departest not thence, tyll thou have made goode the vtmose farthynge.
1574 J. Baret Aluearie S 714 If any thing was stollen away, I euer made it good.
1622 G. de Malynes Consuetudo 119 If a Factor by errour of account doe wrong vnto a Merchant, hee is to amend and to make good the same.
1674 C. Cotton Compl. Gamester viii. 100 It is called Codillio when the Player is beasted, and another wins more Tricks than he, when this takes up the Stakes and the Other makes it good.
1692 R. L'Estrange Fables cccxlvi. 302 Every Distinct Being has somewhat Peculiar to it self, to make Good in one Circumstance what it Wants in Another.
1719 D. Defoe Farther Adventures Robinson Crusoe 258 If you will make good our Pay to us.
1757 in L. Scrafton Indostan (1770) 67 What has been plundered by his people [shall be] made good.
1850 R. C. Trench Notes Miracles (ed. 3) vii. 192 Making good at least a part of the error by its unreserved confession.
1884 Manch. Examiner 29 May 4/7 Any deficiency in repayment shall be made good out of the county cess.
1960 V. Dover & G. A. Calver Banker's Guide Marine Insurance of Goods 287 If incurred as a consequence of a peril insured against, particular average is made good by underwriters subject to the conditions of the policy.
1992–3 Free Inq. Winter 8/1 An Arkansas bank has garnisheed Falwell's personal pay to make good loans he had personally secured.
(ii) intransitive. With on.
ΚΠ
1893 Bankers' Mag. May 835 The directors have anticipated the loss which the company may ultimately have to make good on.
1966 C. Siragusa & R. Wiedrich Trail of Poppy vi. 98 Coppola agreed to make good on the bum load of heroin.
1978 Washington Post (Nexis) 24 July a7 Roberts said yesterday that the senator's willingness to make good on any rembursements does not mean that Talmadge agrees with charges he ‘improperly’ received the money.
1993 Toronto Sun 17 June 71/2 If the average family of four had to make good on the debt, it would be hit with $90,000 more in taxes.
2005 Sunday Tel. (Sydney) 20 Nov. (Queensland ed.) 144/1 The FBI is still investigating because the Department of Treasury made good on the forged bonds.
(c) transitive. To replace, repair, or restore to good condition (something damaged, faulty, or worn); to repair (damage). Also intransitive: to restore or repair something, esp. a surface; to fill or raise something up to a specified level. Frequently in Building.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > amending > put right [verb (transitive)] > put right (a wrong or loss)
winc1220
righta1275
astorec1300
addressa1325
reform1405
dressc1410
redressa1413
arightc1420
refound1497
richa1500
redub1531
repair1533
to make good1569
reducec1592
remend1592
to set up1610
to get up1688
1569 R. Grafton Chron. II. 128 If any were perished by keping, then the Abbot to make them good.
c1592 C. Marlowe Jew of Malta v. iv Till thy father hath made good The ruins done to Malta and to us.
1655 T. Harvey tr. G. B. Spagnoli Bucolicks ii. 10 We..By day, by night did labour to make good The ruin'd banks against the raging flood.
1726 G. Leoni tr. L. B. Alberti Architecture II. 129/2 In making good this break you must not work it up quite to the rest of the building.
1791 J. Smeaton Narr. Edystone Lighthouse §38 A set of short balks were laid..upon the next step..so as to make good up to the surface of the third step.
1793 J. Smeaton Narr. Edystone Lighthouse (ed. 2) §121 The space which had been previously occupied by the rock so cut down must have been made good by fresh Matter.
1840 A. Bartholomew Specif. Pract. Archit. 427 To make good [railing] up to the new building the inclosure.
1884 Law Times Rep. 51 161/2 The appellants undertook..to make good any damage done to the property.
1884 Building News 30 May 825/2 Allow for taking up and rejointing and relaying street paving, and make good up to new work.
1889 Yorks. Archæol. Jrnl. 10 556 They have been entirely removed and the place made good with plain stonework.
1944 J. B. Parry in R. Greenhalgh Pract. Builder viii. 282/2 Here, the comparatively simple preparation of making good any cracks or slight defects with Keene's or other hardwall plaster.
2006 P. Hymers Converting to Eco-friendly Home i. 29 They can only be installed with extra building work to make good around them.
2012 N. Foster EU Law Direct. (ed. 3) ix. 246 The Commission was held liable to make good the damage resulting from the discovery of the applicant's identity.
(d) Poker. intransitive. To increase one’s existing bet, esp. an ante or blind, to match the amounts already bet by other players; to call. Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > entertainment > pastimes > game > card game > poker > [verb (transitive)] > actions or tactics
see1804
to make good1821
call1840
bluff1846
straddle1864
fill1865
to cash in1884
stack1896
slow-play1967
slow-roll1996
1821 G. Long Hoyle's Games Improved 163 If the ante is doubled, the eldest hand having looked at the cards first dealt him must either make good (i.e. put in as much as will make his ante equal to the last double) or bolt.
1895 ‘Templar’ Poker Man. 4 If he determines to play on, he ‘makes good’, as the expression is; that is, he adds to his ante as much as will make his total stake equal to that of each of the other players.
1929 F. Arnold & H. Johnston Poker 150 Make good. To add sufficient to an ante or bet to meet a raise.
1950 L. H. Dawson Hoyle's Games Modernized i. 122 B..does not fancy his chance of improving as worth another yellow, so refuses to ‘make good’, and retires.
b. transitive. To prove.
(a) To prove (something, as a statement, a charge, a boast, etc.) to be true or valid; to demonstrate the truth of; to substantiate.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > testing > proof, demonstration > prove, demonstrate [verb (transitive)]
i-sothea925
soothec950
fanda1000
kitheOE
betell1048
showc1175
prove?c1225
treousec1275
stablisha1325
approve1340
verifyc1386
justifya1393
tryc1412
answer?a1425
appreve?c1450
to make gooda1470
convictc1475
averifyc1503
arguea1513
find1512
pree1515
comprobate1531
demonstrate1538
conclude1549
convince1555
argument1558
evict1571
avoucha1593
evidencea1601
remonstrate1601
clear1605
attaint1609
monstrate1609
evince1610
evince1611
improve1613
remonstrance1621
to make out1653
ascertain1670
to bring off1674
to make (something) to through1675
render1678
substantiatea1691
establisha1704
to bring out1727
realize1763
validate1775
a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) III. 1188 Quene Gwenyver..ys as trew a lady unto youre person as ys ony lady lyvynge unto her lorde, and that woll I make good with my hondis.
1529 tr. M. Luther in tr. Erasmus Exhort. Studye Script. sig. E.jv Nother have they so made good the cause of their chastite.
1597 W. Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet v. iii. 285 These letters doe make good the Fryers wordes. View more context for this quotation
1612 F. Bacon Ess. (new ed.) 122 Some..take by admittance that which they cannot make good.
1664 B. Gerbier Counsel to Builders (new ed.) i. sig. f5 You will..make good..that you are not of those who content themselves with..out-sides of books.
1715 R. Wodrow Corr. (1843) II. 39 He should be obliged to make good his charge or be censured.
1772 ‘Junius’ Stat Nominis Umbra II. lxviii. 310 I am now to make good my charge against you.
1819 W. Scott Ivanhoe I. xi. 226 I should like to hear how that is made good.
1875 E. White Life in Christ (1878) iii. xxi. 303 His general argument has been made good on other grounds.
1915 Boys' Life Nov. 33/1 The more than two hundred illustrations drawn to measure by the author himself are sure to help to make good his claim that the book is ‘written so any one can understand it’.
1987 B. MacLaverty Great Profundo 33 I had brought him a bottle of Bushmills and challenged him to make good his boast.
2008 Housing Law Rep. 347 [The claimant], in my judgement, makes  good  his  complaint.
(b) to make it good on a person's body: to use physical violence to force someone into conceding a point or accepting the truth of one's assertion.
ΚΠ
1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. clxi. 196 I shulde make it good on you incontynent that ye haue no right to bere my deuyce.
a1535 T. More Hist. Richard III in Wks. (1557) 54/2 I tel the thei haue so done, & that I will make good on thy body traitour.
1592 T. Nashe Strange Newes sig. B4 Behold, here stands he that will make it good on thy foure Letters bodie, that thou art a filthy vaine foole.
1596 J. Harington New Disc. Aiax sig. H3v I..wil make it good on their persons, from pin to pyke.
1646 Earl of Monmouth tr. G. F. Biondi Hist. Civil Warres Eng. II. vii. 97 He told him it was true, and that hee would make it good upon his body Traytor that he was.
1690 J. Phillips Secret Hist. Reigns Charles II & James II 85 He was a Chivalier, and better Born than Himself, and would make it Good on Him with his Sword.
c. To secure.
†(a) intransitive to take responsibility for another's performance of an undertaking; to stand surety for. Cf. Phrases 2c(b)(ii). Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1502 tr. Ordynarye of Crysten Men (de Worde) i. iv. sig. e.ii The godfader & godmoder ben pledges & maketh good for hym.
1591 R. Percyvall Bibliotheca Hispanica Dict. at Abono Making good, or undertaking for another, vadimonium.
1642 E. Waller Vindic. King sig. A2 It's too great a hazard on his part to adventure what our consciences enforce us to make good for Him on our part.
1773 T. Sadler Compl. Syst. Pract. Arithm. 338 He resolved his friend should make good for the use of the money lent to him.
(b) transitive.
†(i) to make one's party (also part) good: to make one's position, status, etc., secure; to carry out one's aim or purpose successfully; (in early use) spec. to hold one's own in a battle. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > prosperity > success > succeed or be a success [verb (intransitive)] > achieve success (of persons) > make good one's cause or position
to hold partya1375
to make one's party (also part) good?1520
?1520 A. Barclay tr. Sallust Cron. Warre agaynst Iugurth xi. f. xvi Bycause he [sc. Adherball] was nat able..to make his partie good, he fled vnto Rome.
1553 T. Wilson Arte of Rhetorique 11 David, beyng wonderfully over-matched, made his partie good, and gotte the gole of a monster.
?1556 E. P. in tr. T. Cranmer Confut. Verities Pref. sig. B.iiii For the pope, then being in warre with the French king, to make his part good & the stronger, procured the Bishops of the church of England..to entytle the kyng to his right of the realme & crown of Fraunce.
1594 H. Charteris in Lyfe & Actis William Wallace Pref. sig. *iiijv Quhen he enterit in combat, he was scarce able to mak his partie gude, to ye..subversioun of this commounwealth.
1609 P. Holland tr. Ammianus Marcellinus Rom. Hist. xxxi. ix. 415 He..by valiant resistance had made his part good, & departed out of the field on even hand.
1631 P. Heylyn Hist. St. George 53 To make good his party, against these severall Squadrons.
1662 J. Davies tr. A. Olearius Voy. & Trav. Ambassadors 6 A man hath much ado to make his party good against them [sc. gnats].
1693 tr. G. de Foigny New Discov. Terra Incognita xiii. 176 It was impossible for this poor Creature to make his part good, as..the two Birds were each of them as strong as himself.
1723 J. Barker Patch-work Screen for Ladies iii. 102 We will leave him to make his Party good, as well as he can, amidst the Censure of his Neighbours.
1732 tr. J. de La Roque Voy. Arabia Fœlix v. 157 He try'd several Times to make his Part good, but the Return of the Waves carry'd him back into the Sea in an instant.
1778 A. Murphy Know your own Mind iii. 54 Make your party good with Miss Neville.
1812 M. Edgeworth Vivian xii, in Tales Fashionable Life IV. 335 Julia has made her party good with him, for he writes me word he cannot part with her.
1823 W. Scott Waverley I. xi. 208 It was resting on their support that he was enabled to make his party good against the hatred of the nobles.
1845 A. Marsh Mount Sorel I. ii. 30 This fine estate had fallen into the hands of one who well understood..how to make his part good with the influential under the new order of things.
(ii) To make secure against attack; to gain and maintain (one's ground, a position, etc.). Also: †to secure (a prisoner) (obsolete).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > retaining > retain or keep [verb (transitive)]
holda855
haveeOE
witec1000
at-holdc1175
withholdc1200
keepc1400
reserve?a1439
retain1449
detain1541
to stick to ——1560
contain1600
to make good1606
preserve1617
inhold1726
to hang on to1873
the mind > will > decision > constancy or steadfastness > adhere constantly or steadfastly to [verb (transitive)]
to stand in ——a1382
abidea1393
saddena1500
to bide bya1513
to stick to ——?1531
to stout out1568
to make good1606
winter1608
buckle1793
maintain1819
1606 G. W. tr. Justinus Hist. 116 b His own kingdom..he long honorably had made good against his enemies.
1617 F. Moryson Itinerary ii. 166 This Fort his Lp. and his Company made good, till he was relieved from the Lord Deputie.
1643 Declar. Commons conc. Rebellion in Ireland 42 But being unarmed..they could not make good their Prisoners.
1663 S. Butler Hudibras: First Pt. i. i. 53 The Bear..b'ing bound In honour to make good his ground.
1722 D. Defoe Hist. Col. Jack 274 Tho' we made good our Ground a long time, yet our Men were almost half of them cut in peices.
1804 W. Tennant Indian Recreat. (ed. 2) I. 326 The invaders have hardly any opportunity of making good a livelihood in the field.
1843 T. Arnold & J. C. Hare Hist. Rome III. 117 The walls..of Rome were ordered to be made good against an attack.
1914 D. Haig Diary 20 Aug. in War Diaries & Lett. 1914–18 (2005) 60 Make good one's hold on tactical points as the attack progresses. Use of RE, companies and machine guns for this.
2004 Afr. News (Nexis) 9 Nov. Both the NLC and the police, determined to make good their positions.
d. To carry out successfully.
(a) To fulfil (a promise, obligation, threat, etc.).
(i) transitive.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > carrying out > execute, perform, or carry out [verb (transitive)] > achieve or effect
helpc1410
obtain?a1425
procurec1425
practise?a1439
upholdc1450
furnish1477
to bring about1480
to bring to passc1513
conduce1518
contrive1530
to make good1535
moyen1560
effect1581
effectuatea1586
to level out1606
operate1637
to carry offa1640
efficiate1639
work1761
engineer1831
1535 Bible (Coverdale) 2 Chron. vi. 16 Make good vnto my father Dauid..that which thou hast promysed him.
1619 tr. Reasons Bohemia to reiect Archiduke Ferdinand 15 Now in what fashion King Ferdinand hath made good his oath..is notorious to the whole world.
1677 J. Brown Christ the Way 127 How can we then but be troubled, when we finde not this promise made good?
1712 E. Budgell Spectator No. 404. ⁋2 Nature makes good her Engagements.
1736 Bp. J. Butler Analogy of Relig. i. v. 97 Keeping upon his Guard, in order to make good his Resolution.
1823 W. Scott Quentin Durward III. x. 271 Will you make good your promise?
1866 J. Martineau Ess. Philos. & Theol. 1st Ser. 174 A discredited prophet unable to make good his word.
1957 F. Hoyle Black Cloud (1960) 183 While there's just the possibility that I could make good my threat, they'll lay off the strong arm stuff.
2011 Sun (Nexis) 9 Feb. (Scotland ed.) 43 David Cameron must make good his pledge to root out those responsible.
(ii) intransitive with on.
ΚΠ
1905 Trade (Detroit) 28 June 25/3 Merchants..who will not promise delivery unless they mean to make good on it.
1924 Bridgeport (Connecticut) Telegram 2 Feb. 24/1 Miss Wills is too bashful and publicity shy to make good on the being interviewed proposition.
1971 J. Blume Then again, maybe I Won't 58 Now he couldn't make good on his promise.
1983 National Jrnl. 19 Mar. 605/2 The Italian central bank refused to make good on the obligations of Banco Ambrosiano..when its shadily run Luxembourg subsidiary folded.
2004 Hotdog Apr. 47/1 [He] sets off cross-country to make good on the vow.
(b) transitive. To succeed in carrying out (an action, one's purpose) or following (one's course or path); now usually in to make good one's escape.
ΚΠ
1651 Faithfull Scout No. 8. 50 Massey made good his retreat.
1701 W. Wotton Hist. Rome 208 His Men would make good his Attempt.
1779 F. Hervey et al. Naval Hist. Great Brit. III. iv. ii. 24 The French fleet had made good their escape.
1793 J. Smeaton Narr. Edystone Lighthouse (ed. 2) §129 She might..make her course good to land us at Fowey.
1854 H. Miller My Schools & Schoolmasters (1858) 522 Making good his upward way from his original place at the compositor's frame, to the editorship of a provincial paper.
1893 Earl of Dunmore Pamirs I. 314 The rebels managed to make good their retreat.
1911 Daily Colonist (Victoria, Brit. Columbia) 29 Apr. 13/4 Two robbers..took $160, all the money in the register, and made good their escape.
1971 A. Pagden tr. H. Cortes Lett. from Mexico iii. 243 They thought that once the Tascaltecans came to cross the water, where the danger was greatest, they would make good their revenge.
2007 M. Hamid Reluctant Fundamentalist (2008) iii. 36 Already they are streaking away, making good their escape.
(c) intransitive. Originally U.S.
(i) To satisfy expectations or requirements; to do what has been promised or is expected. Cf. to deliver (also come up with, produce) the goods at Phrases 7a.
ΚΠ
1899 G. Ade Doc' Horne vi. 57 So you made good with the gun-play did you.
1908 G. H. Lorimer Jack Spurlock v. 89 I need work and I need it quick. Give me a show and I'll make good.
1908 Daily Chron. 25 Feb. 6/7 I made good, as the Yankees say, with my songs.
1913 San Francisco Bull. 12 Mar. 19/1 Pat is a conscientious worker. He wants to make good and states that he will do so even at the loss of an arm.
1927 Daily Tel. 7 Mar. 2/3 The board consider that the company will now make good.
(ii) To achieve success in life; to become rich and successful.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > prosperity > success > succeed or be a success [verb (intransitive)] > achieve success (of persons)
speed993
achievec1300
escheve?a1400
succeed1509
to turn up trumps1595
fadge1611
to nick ita1637
to hit the mark (also nail, needle, pin)1655
to get on1768
to reap, win one's laurels1819
to go a long way1859
win out1861
score1882
to make it1885
to make a ten-strike1887
to make the grade1912
to make good1914
to bring home the bacon1924
to go places1931
1914 G. Atherton Perch of Devil i. 58 Ability and talent make good as always.
1928 E. O'Neill Strange Interlude iii. 94 I'm making good, all right.
1935 Amer. Mercury Feb. 150/1 How can Al Smith again stand forth as the paladin of the plain people, as the wearer of the Brown Derby, the Oliver Street boy who made good.
1958 J. Wain Contenders i. 15 He was the white-collar one of the family, the one who was going to make good.
1991 Times Educ. Suppl. 4 Jan. 26/4 Behind the stories..is the theme—in anthropomorphic disguise—of the poor boy who makes good.
2011 Wall St. Jrnl. 12 Sept. a17/5 His community treated him as a local boy made good.
P2. Phrases with other verbs.
a. With become. to become good for: (Scottish) to take responsibility for another's performance of an undertaking; to stand surety. Now rare. Sc. National Dict. records this sense as still in use in 1955.
ΚΠ
1645 S. Rutherford Tryal & Triumph of Faith vii. 49 He is become good to the Father for us.
1828 D. M. Moir Life Mansie Wauch xviii. 265 I tell't Maister Wiggie,..that I could almost become guid for your being mair wary of your conduct for the future time to come.
†b. With can.
(a) to can (any, much, etc.) good: to have (some, much, etc.) knowledge or understanding. Also to can no good: to be uneducated or ignorant. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > ability > skill or skilfulness > be versed or skilled [verb (intransitive)] > be highly accomplished
to can mickle goodOE
the world > action or operation > ability > inability > unskilfulness > do something unskilfully [verb (intransitive)] > be untrained
to can mickle goodOE
OE tr. Gospel of Nicodemus (Cambr.) ii. §4. 155 Þa andswaredon þa Iudeas þe ðær ænig god cuðon, þæt wæron Lazar and Asterius.
c1175 ( Ælfric Homily (Bodl. 343) in S. Irvine Old Eng. Homilies (1993) 25 Heo mihten icnawæn, ȝif heo cyðen æniȝ god, þæt nan mon ne mihte makiȝen swylce tacnæ butan Gode sylfum.
a1225 (c1200) Vices & Virtues (1888) 81 Alswa lihtliche..he misdoð al swo he ðe non god ne cann.
a1400 Ancrene Riwle (Pepys) (1976) 72 Ȝif hij couþen good hij nolden nouȝth done so as hij done.
c1435 (c1395) G. Chaucer Squire's Tale (Sloane 1685) (1874) Prol. l. 1169 Ye lernyd men..Can moche gode by goddes dignyte.
a1450 ( G. Chaucer Bk. Duchess (Tanner 346) (1871) l. 390 A whelp þat..koude no goode.
a1450 (c1410) H. Lovelich Hist. Holy Grail xlix. l. 24 (MED) Be hym that mochel good kanne, that ladde the Children of Israel thorw þe Rede se!
(b) to can one's good: to know what is good for oneself; (later also) to know how to behave properly. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > behave well [verb (intransitive)] > know how to behave
to can one's goodc1405
to know (also keep) one's placea1500
c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Wife of Bath's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) Prol. l. 231 A wys wyf, if that she kan hir good Shal bere hym an hond the Cow is wood.
a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1882) v. l. 106 This Diomede as he þat koude his good whan þis was don gan fallen forth in speche Of þis and þat.
c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) ii. l. 1305 He hym cast to stondyn at his large, Withoute errour, as he þat koude his gode.
1513 Lydgate's Troye Bk. (Pynson) i. v. C i b For who was euer yet so mad or wood That ought of reason konne a ryght his good To gyue fayth..To any woman without experyence.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Edward V f. xviv An honest manne and one that could his good.
1606 G. Chapman Monsieur D'Oliue iv. i. sig. H Well, he sayes you can your good, you may be waiting woman to any dame in Europe.
c. With come.
(a) to come to good: to come to fruition; to turn out successfully or well; to achieve success. Cf. to turn to good at Phrases 2g, to come to —— 5a at come v. Phrasal verbs 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sleeping and waking > sleep > dream > [verb (intransitive)] > of a dream: come true
to come to goodOE
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > yield good produce or result [verb (intransitive)]
to come to good1623
OE tr. Pseudo-Apuleius Herbarium (Vitell.) (1984) iii. 44 Gif man forbærned sy genime fifleafan þa wyrt, bere on him, ðonne cweþað cræftige men þæt him ð[æt] to gode cume [L. herbam quinquefolium portatam prodesse].
a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 9 (MED) Hu scolde oðermonnes goddede comen him to gode þe nefre..nanes godes ne rohte?
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 5070 Al was for i tald a drem þat cummen es now to godd, i tem.
1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Mark. iiij. f. xxxiiij The sede is sprongen into grasse, whiche by ye grenenes of innocencie, puttethe euery manne in a ioyefull hope that it wyll proue well, and come to good.
1623 W. Balcanquhall Serm. St. Maries Spittle 98 The seede that came to no good in the thirteenth of Matthew.
1671 J. Sharp Midwives Bk. vi. v. 368 But when children suck so over-long, as three or four years, I seldome hear of any of them that ever come to good.
1742 H. Fielding Joseph Andrews I. ii. iv. 158 I Never knew any of these forward Sluts come to good.
1850 Tait's Edinb. Mag. Nov. 708/1 The marriages of English people with foreigners seldom come to good.
1884 Sat. Rev. 7 June 731/2 The scheme..could not..have come to good.
1907 F. P. Stearns Life & Public Service G. L. Stearns ii. 34 He had several sons..who never came to good.
1930 J. Ord Bothy Songs & Ballads 383 Yestreen I was the beggar's bride, This nicht I will lie by his side; I've come to good by my misguide, I'm now the young Knight's lady.
1996 M. Drabble Witch of Exmoor 179 Gogo, hearing this news, was struck with a chill of fear. It could not, nor it would not come to good.
(b) to come good for.
(i) Chiefly North American. To pay for; to cover the cost of.
ΚΠ
1833 T. Carlyle Let. 21 May in Coll. Lett. T. & J. W. Carlyle (1977) VI. 391 He also writes to Mrs. Welsh that he will ‘come good for it’.
1862 Abstr. Proc. Land Commissioners' Court Prince Edward Island 77 The farm was taken off his hands by another man who came good for the rent.
1910 Northwestern Reporter 125 714/1 I will come good for his dues, so as to make you all right. Send your policy in. I will come good for those dues. I will pay them myself.
1916 Detroit Med. Jrnl. Mar. 130 If he continues to employ his own family physician the said company will not come good for the doctor's fee for which the patient must become responsible himself.
1951 Rotarian July 42/2 ‘Say, fellow, you're going to have to come good for these papers,’ I said. ‘Here's a quarter to help you out.’
2001 H. Sawler Penguin Man 218 Tommy the asshole bartender would likely have to come good for the charges.
(ii) = to become good for at Phrases 2a.
ΚΠ
1892 W. Ramage Last Words xxxiv. 322 Having come good for the transgressor the surety could be spared no part of the punishment.
(c) to come good: to turn out successfully, reach fruition; to achieve success; (also) to fulfil an obligation, promise, etc. (cf. Phrases 1d(a)).
ΚΠ
1847 Knickerbocker 29 377 Sassafras is ‘coming good’ now too in the woods; and so is ‘crinkle-root’.
1907 W. Jekyll Jamaican Song & Story 110 Never min'; by the time me re'ch up mine voice will come good.
1974 P. White Let. 20 Jan. (1994) xii. 431 James Allison, who had been promising to let me see it since before Christmas, came good the other day.
1989 Viz Dec. 33 Don't worry boss. It'll come good. After all, the season hasn't even started yet.
2001 Kerryman 11 Oct. 3/3 The supermarket had come good on the commitment it had given..to find a suitable replacement for the town centre store.
d. With do.
(a) to do good.
(i) To act rightly or virtuously; (in later use) spec. to involve oneself in charitable or philanthropic work. Cf. good doer n., good-doing n., do-gooder n., do-gooding adj. and n.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > virtue > righteousness or rectitude > do good or act rightly [verb (intransitive)]
to do goodeOE
to do notec1275
righta1393
eOE (Mercian) Vespasian Psalter (1965) xiii. 2 (1) Non est qui faciat bonum non est usque ad unum : nis se ðe doe god nis oð enne.
OE Ælfric Homily: De Duodecim Abusivis (Corpus Cambr. 178) in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 297 Þæt [sc. accidia] is asolcennyss.., þonne þam men ne lyst nan good don on his life.
a1225 (?c1175) Poema Morale (Lamb.) 17 in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 161 Erȝe we beoð to done god.
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 93 Þe put deð muche god. moni ancre.
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Jer. xviii. 10 Othinking Y shal do vp on the good that Y spac, that Y shulde do to it.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Acts x. D Iesus..wente aboute, & dyd good.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) 1 Tim. vi. D Charge them which are riche..That they do good.
1640 J. Shirley St. Patrick v. sig. H3v I cannot doe good upon water and sallads.
1691 J. Hartcliffe Treat. Virtues 399 By his being well directed in his Morals, to refuse evil and to do good.
1796 S. Beaufoy Divine Cordial 12 in Guide True Pilgrims Much is said, in the present day, about man's ability to do good; and refuse evil.
1879 ‘E. Garrett’ House by Wks. II. 102 Sometimes I doubt if she will be as ready to begin doing good again.
1914 L. Woolf Wise Virgins viii. 163 The young and old ladies of Richstead were not behind the young and old ladies of other suburbs in the many-sided and flattering pursuit of ‘doing good’.
2011 Independent 13 Apr. 15/4 As Tal Ben-Shahar, the academic who introduced happiness to Harvard undergraduates, says, ‘If you want to feel good, do good.’
(ii) With to (also †till) or indirect object (dative in Old English). To show kindness to; to improve the condition of, be beneficial to. Also to do a good to. Also with non-referential it as subject and infinitive clause as complement (e.g. it would do you good to make more effort).Cf. to do oneself a bit of no good at Phrases 8b.
ΚΠ
OE Ælfric Let. to Wulfsige (Corpus Cambr.) in B. Fehr Die Hirtenbriefe Ælfrics (1914) 13 Hi sceolon gebiddan geornlice for þone cyning & for heora bisceop & for þa, þe him god doð.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 11806 (MED) Hu had he hert to sced þair blod þat neuer did til him bot godd?
1490 W. Caxton tr. Foure Sonnes of Aymon (1885) ix. 217 I cowde nother ete nor drynke ony thyng that dyde me goode.
1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry i. f. 18v Some of them doo good to the grounde the yeere folowyng.
1599 Hist. Syr Clyomon & Clamydes sig. Fv It will do thee good to see What canuosing is at the milking time, betweene her and mee.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Timon of Athens (1623) iii. iii. 24 I'de such a courage to do him good . View more context for this quotation
1695 Ld. Preston tr. Boethius Of Consol. Philos. i. 17 I had no other end in aspiring to the Magistracy, than that one, of doing good to all.
1773 J. Berridge Christian World Unmasked 49 It would do you good to see, how smerkingly they go to church in summer.
1780 J. Boswell Jrnl. 22 Feb. in Edinb. Jrnls. 1767–86 (2001) xii. 377 Soup and small beer and toasted bake did me good.
1828 Museum of Foreign Lit., Sci. & Art July 231 In supporting such a project he has done a good to his country, which even England could hardly repay.
1842 Ld. Houghton Let. 28 Nov. in T. W. Reid Life Ld. Houghton (1890) I. vii. 287 His pretty, dressy wife, too, does him no good, as she does nothing to please or attach the people.
1850 H. Melville White-jacket I. xxxvi. 239 We cannot do a good to America, but we give alms to the world.
1906 R. E. Beach Spoilers xxii. 308 If only by freeing this other villain as well as her uncle he would do a good to her, then he would not hesitate.
c1934 D. Thomas Coll. Lett. (1987) 109 I've chain-smoked for nearly five years; which must have done me a lot of good.
1980 J. Aiken Weeping Ash 85 It will do her good to walk her for a mile, till she dries off.
2012 Daily Tel. (Nexis) 7 Apr. (Gardening section) 9 The exercise will do you good.
(b) to do no good and variants: to come to no good result; to make no progress; to fail to thrive or succeed.
ΚΠ
1698 J. Fryer New Acct. E.-India & Persia 314 He finding no good to be done with me, began [etc.].
a1784 S. Johnson in H. L. Piozzi Anecd. Johnson (1786) 208 His learning does no good, and his wit..gives us no pleasure.
1855 Jrnl. Royal Agric. Soc. 16 i. 29 The animal..falls out of condition; he appears ‘to do no good’, to use a familiar..phrase.
1921 A. A. Milne Sunny Side in Those were the Days (1929) (ed. 2) 700 Johnny will never do any good at Polwollop, I fear.
1992 Caribbean Week Apr. 25/4 Pleas from native Indian groups around the Caribbean, including the Carib chief in Dominica, did no good.
2011 H. Pool Stranger in Taiwan 15 Although one of my duties was to help calm the trainees down before their observed practice, it rarely did any good.
(c) much good may it do you and variants: see much adj. 2g. to do a person's heart good: see heart n., int., and adv. Phrases 6b. to do more harm than good: see harm n. 1a.
e. With know. to know one's good: = to can one's good at Phrases 2b(b).
ΚΠ
1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene i. x. sig. I6 A gentle Squyre,..In word and deede that shewd great modestee, And knew his good to all of each degree.
1757 S. Boyce Poems 202 How wise am I to know my good!
f. With speak, say, etc.
†(a) †to speak (also say) good to: to address in a kindly or friendly manner. Also with person as indirect object. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
?a1160 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1135 Wua sua bare his byrthen gold & sylure, durste nan man sei to him naht bute god.
a1300 (c1275) Physiologus (1991) l. 305 Wo so seieð oðer god & ðenkeð iuel on his mod Fox he is & fend iwis.
a1450 Generides (Pierpont Morgan) (1865) l. 9223 Lucas him goode spake, and honoured, And vnto his deliueraunce he procured.
(b) to speak (also say, think, etc.) good of: to speak (think, etc.) well of. Cf. well adv. 2a(d).
ΚΠ
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 62 Huanne me zayþ guod of oþren touore him, alneway he vint and zet ames.
a1425 (?a1400) G. Chaucer Romaunt Rose (Hunterian) (1891) l. 2237 That they euer speke good of thee.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Song Three Children 52 O let the earth speake good of the Lorde: yee lett it prayse him.
a1657 W. Burton Comm. Antoninus his Itinerary (1658) 142 Whose opinion Camden at first thought good of.
1697 G. Seton Modest Vindic. 2 I was a Fool to speak Good of her.
1796 T. Holcroft Man of Ten Thousand iii. ii. 33 I despise hypocrisy. Why not as freely speak good of myself, when I think it, as of another?
1836 J. Baillie Witchcraft iv. iii, in Dramas III. 121 Thou wilt think, ay, wilt speak good of Violet Murrey, when all besides speak evil.
1898 Friend 16 July 410/2 When a man's worst enemy..in all sincerity, speaks good of him, and feels obliged to do so, you may be sure that there is something in it.
1966 F. Nwapa Efuru viii. 165 That's why I talk good of you, Efuru.
1975 W. Meredith Hazard, Painter in Partial Accts. (1987) 113 You who have sternly set all lovers to walk the hallways of the world-hutch for a lucky while, speaking good of our short durance here.
?1999 B. Donaldson Tugs of War ii. 28 Stop running yourself down, girl. That's one thing I'm going to teach you. To think good of yourself.
†g. to turn to good: to make (circumstances, etc.) turn out well; to bring about the success of; (also, of circumstances, etc.) = to come to good at Phrases 2c(a). Obsolete.
ΚΠ
c1225 (?c1200) Hali Meiðhad (Bodl.) (1940) l. 65 Alle þing schule þe turne to gode.
a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 804 (MED) Go we to þe gardyn; to gode may it turne.
a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. xiii. 142 Now God turne all to good, If it be his wyll.
1580 T. Tusser Fiue Hundred Pointes Good Husbandrie (new ed.) f. 13v It is an ill winde turnes none to good.
1633 J. Ford Loves Sacrifice i. sig. D On the sudden I fall a bleeding, 'tis an ominous signe; Pray heauen it turne to good.
1685 R. Baxter Paraphr. New Test. Philipp. i. 19 This accumulating Affliction on me..shall through your Prayer, and Christs Spirit, all turn to good, and but further my own and other Mens Salvation.
a1740 D. Waterland Serm. Several Subj. (1742) I. v. 135 God serves Himself of Them as his Instruments, and permits Them to act no farther than He can turn to Good.
1783 J. Cave Poems Var. Subj. 147 Thou canst the loss of friends supply, And turn to good each ill.
P3. Phrases with good following a preposition.
a. for good.
(a) Permanently, for a final time, once and for all.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > order > order, sequence, or succession > end or conclusion > the end [phrase] > as a final act or once for all
once for alla1400
for good1476
for best1641
once for ado1642
once and for all1814
1476 J. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 495 [They] offryd to afferme and advowe my tytell for goode.
1711 J. Swift Jrnl. to Stella 5 July (1948) I. 308 This day I left Chelsea for good (that's a genteel phrase).
1833 in Maryland Hist. Mag. (1918) 13 370 If I could have got my trunk I would quit for good.
1882 W. E. Forster Let. To Gladstone 10 Apr. in T. W. Reid Life W. E. Forster (1888) II. viii. 421 This morning we released Parnell—not for good, but on parole.
1936 M. Mitchell Gone with the Wind iv. xxxii. 540 What I want is to get out of this fix, for good.
1952 A. John Chiaroscuro 233 Outwardly unmoved, I said goodbye for good.
1987 Society (Bombay) Jan. 28/2 The Chopras too were reluctant to leave India for good.
2001 Heat 17 Nov. 101/2 Promising that, this time, he really has changed for good. Has he 'eckers.
(b) Also more fully for good and all.
ΚΠ
c1520 Parl. Byrdes (de Worde) sig. A.ii Than desyred they [sc. the birds] grete and small To mewe the hawke for good and all.
1576 L. Tomson tr. P. de la Place Treat. Excellencie of Christian Man sig. B.viv It must suffise vs for good and all, that his will was so.
1603 in R. F. Williams Birch's Court & Times James I (1849) (modernized text) I. 25 D'Auval..is gone for good and all.
1693 W. Congreve Old Batchelour i. i. 3 Ay, you may take him for good and-all if you will.
a1732 T. Boston Crook in Lot (1805) 37 He was obliged for good and all to leave his country.
1768 L. Sterne Sentimental Journey II. 11 I stopp'd to bid her adieu for good an all.
1850 J. H. Newman Lect. Diffic. Anglicans 324 Throw off, for good and all, the illusions of your intellect.
1934 ‘L. G. Gibbon’ Grey Granite iv. 267 If they parted she'd no need to live off him, they parted for good and all—if at all.
1965 G. Jones Island of Apples iii. i. 171 I was to go and live with them for good and all, and travel up the valley to school in Ystrad every day by train.
2000 T. Clancy Bear & Dragon xxiv. 344 When will Europe get the word that peace has finally broken out for good and all?
†b. in good: = in good part at part n.1 Phrases 1e. In quot. in to take in good. Obsolete. [Compare classical Latin bonī consulere to take in good part, be satisfied with.]
ΚΠ
1544 in E. Lodge Illustr. Brit. Hist. (1791) I. xxxix. 91 His Maiestie taketh in good your diligence.
†c. of good: designating a person of wealth or status. Chiefly in man of good. Cf. of substance at substance n. Phrases 2. Obsolete (chiefly Scottish in later use).
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > social class > nobility > rank > [noun] > person of > man of rank
herOE
man of statec1330
peera1375
man of goodc1390
sira1400
titulado1622
c1390 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vernon) (1867) A. ii. l. 87 (MED) For Meede is a Iuweler, A Mayden of goode.
c1390 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vernon) (1867) A. iii. l. 162 (MED) Such a Mayster is Meede A-Mong Men of goode.
c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. ii. l. 131 And Mede is moylere, a mayden of gode.
c1434 in R. H. Robbins Hist. Poems 14th & 15th Cent. (1959) 62 (MED) For þou art comen of good blood, or for art a riche man of good.
1525 in J. Stuart Extracts Council Reg. Aberdeen (1844) I. 113 The lordis and men of gud in the cuntra bout thaim.
1535 W. Stewart tr. H. Boethius Bk. Cron. Scotl. (1858) I. 532 The king wes tane and men of gud threttie.
?a1600 ( R. Sempill Legend Bischop St. Androis in J. Cranstoun Satirical Poems Reformation (1891) I. xlv. 387 Galloway was a man of gude, Discendit of a noble blude.
†d. to good.
(a) So as to benefit or help another or others. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > wish or inclination > willingness > [adverb]
to goodeOE
thankc888
yernec888
lieflyc900
lovelyeOE
lustly971
willinglyOE
wilfullyc1000
with (also mid) heart and hand (also hands)OE
fainc1175
lustilya1225
lief1297
yfaȝea1300
blethelyc1300
goodlya1375
blelyc1380
willingc1384
bainc1400
acceptably1479
bainlya1500
cheerfully1523
towardly1523
desirously1531
pronely?1532
fainly1535
wilningly1597
bongre1598
libentiously1606
volently1614
propensely1648
easily1649
with (a) good grace1650
unreluctantly1655
with the best will (in the world)1814
unhesitatingly1829
unqualifyingly1841
unloathly1844
happily1889
eOE (Kentish) Charter: Lufu to Christ Church, Canterbury (Sawyer 1197) in F. E. Harmer Sel. Eng. Hist. Docs. 9th & 10th Cent. (1914) 7 Willa ic gesellan..ðem higum to Cristes circcan for mine saule & minra frionda & mega ðe me to gode gefultemedan.
OE Blickling Homilies 215 Þæt ge hwelcum earmum men to gode gedoð for minum naman efne þæt ge me sylfum doð.
c1175 ( Homily (Bodl. 343) in S. Irvine Old Eng. Homilies (1993) 143 Tilie he þenne þæt he hure þis fæsten selost feste.., ȝe on ælmesdæde, ȝe on halȝe bedum.., þe he for Gode to gode don maȝe.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 2890 Hem-seluen he fetchden ðe chaf, Ðe men ðor hem to gode gaf, And ðog holden ðe tigeles tale.
(b) For a good or beneficial outcome. Obsolete. rare.
ΚΠ
1839 W. E. Forster in T. W. Reid Life W. E. Forster (1888) I. 112 I have disposed of all my copies [of the book] but one; I hope to good.
e. to the good.
(a) Originally and chiefly in the fuller form all to the good. Generally welcome or advantageous; to be welcomed without qualification.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > advantage > [adjective] > generally
to the good1819
society > trade and finance > management of money > keeping accounts > account or statement of > [adverb] > as balance on specific side of account
per contra1554
to the bad1802
to the good1819
1819 W. Parnell Maurice & Berghetta 141 Berrett's work has always supported us, and will keep your house, for she makes lace, and spins admirably, and sleeps little; so that this will be all to the good.
1889 Rep. Royal Comm. Relations Capital & Labor in Canada: Evid. Ontario 3 Q.—Then the increase of wages is all to the good? A.—All to the good.
1920 Sci. Amer. Monthly June 502/1 The tendency of these breaks is anti-snobbish as well as hygienic, and so all to the good.
1955 M. Wheeler Still Digging (1958) 93 All this was, in our view, to the good.
1962 P. Gregory Like Tigress at Bay v. 49 The fact that you're wealthy and high up in society may attract certain people, and that's all to the good.
1998 D. S. Landes Wealth & Poverty Nations (1999) xxix. 512 Most of this is to the good, although intellectual and material power has often been abused to evil and destructive ends.
2002 Independent 23 Oct. 18/1 An increase in the number of school bursars to take some of the financial strain away from headteachers would be all to the good.
(b) In credit; as a net profit; (in extended use, chiefly in sporting contexts) in the lead, ahead.
ΚΠ
1834 J. Homer Brief Sketch Present State Nova-Scotia 31 When every industrious man could have money in his pocket to..live comfortably, and have a few pounds to the good, at the termination of the year.
1882 Spectator 29 Apr. 552 Boasting that he..had so much heavier a balance at the bank to the good, in consequence.
1895 Ld. Watson in Law Times Rep. 73 37/1 They have sold their patent..for..30,000l., and..allowing a reasonable deduction for those items which they have disbursed, there still remains to the good a very considerable sum of money.
1898 Pall Mall Mag. Christmas No. 584 He was two wins to the good.
1955 Times 12 Aug. 3/7 By winning the second race the United States team is now two races to the good.
1966 G. Greene Comedians i. iii. 88 I was already a hundred and fifty dollars to the good.
1985 R. Davies What's bred in Bone (1986) iv. 214 I came out exactly seven shillings to the good.
2001 Times 12 Apr. i. 38/1 Then, from two sets to the good, Parmar lost to Giovanni in the fifth, and deciding, rubber.
P4. Phrases with as.
a. as good: (in comparing two possibilities, esp. courses of action) with no different or less advantageous outcome; with equal reason or justification; as well (see well adv. and n.4 Phrases 2c).
†(a) As complement of the subjunctive of to be, followed by an infinitive. In later use also with omission of to be in cases where the comparison is made explicit. Obsolete.In early use with the person advantaged as indirect object, later as subject. In early use with to and infinitive, later with bare infinitive, probably under the influence of Phrases 4a(b).
ΚΠ
c1450 (c1380) G. Chaucer Parl. Fowls (Digby) (1871) l. 511 If it be youre wille A wight may speke, hym were as good be still.
c1500 Lyfe Roberte Deuyll 343 in W. C. Hazlitt Remains Early Pop. Poetry Eng. (1864) I. 233 For so soore Robert dyd them assayle, A man had ben as good to haue be smytten with thonder.
1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. 754 We were as good to go towardes Flaunders as to Bologne.
?1536 R. Copland Hye Way to Spyttell Hous sig. D.ijv One were in a maner as good be slayne.
a1550 Tomas of Ersseldoune (Lansd.) (1875) l. 247 Me had been as good to goo To the brynnyng fyre of hell.
1591 J. Lyly Endimion iii. i. sig. D4 As good sleepe and doe no harme, as wake and doe no good.
c1600 (?c1395) Pierce Ploughman's Crede (Trin. Cambr. R.3.15) (1873) l. 631 Whoso for-gabbed a frere y-founden at þe stues..Hym were as god greuen a greit lorde of rentes.
1605 A. Wotton Answere Popish Pamphlet 59 Were not Christ as good have a troubled Church as none at all?
1673 J. Flavell Fountain of Life viii. 87 As good no law, as no penalty.
1789 H. L. Piozzi Observ. Journey France I. 299 It were as good live at Brest or Portsmouth..as here.
(b) With may and might (cf. may as well at may v.1 Phrases 3). Also with have (see have v. 47).
ΚΠ
1573 G. Harvey Let.-bk. (1884) 44 Thai miht as good eate whot Coales as deni me agajn.
1647 J. Trapp Comm. Epist. & Rev. (1 Cor. xiv. 2) As good he may hold his tongue, for God needs him not.
1668 T. Shadwell Sullen Lovers i. 13 She had as good have thrown her Money into the Dirt.
1695 J. Collier Misc. upon Moral Subj. 137 His Gold might as good have stay'd at Peru, as come into his Custody.
1773 O. Goldsmith She stoops to Conquer ii. 42 You had as good not make me, I tell you.
1816 W. Scott Antiquary I. xv. 335 I had as gude gang back to the town, and take care o' the wean.
1843 T. C. Haliburton Attaché II. xii. 209 I do suppose we had as good make tracks, for I don't want folks to know me yet.
1908 L. Doyle Ballygullion x. 210 Sammy knowed right well he might as good publish the whole proceedin's in the paper as let the fiddler know.
2003 A. Garner Thursbitch (2004) iv. 22 ‘Yay,’ said Jack. ‘And I might as good milk ducks.’
b. as good as.
(a) To all intents and purposes; practically, virtually; almost.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > relationship > similarity > [adverb] > almost or nearly
nigheOE
well-nigheOE
forneanc1000
well-nearc1175
almostc1261
nighwhatc1300
nearhandc1350
nigh handa1375
nigh handsa1375
as good asc1390
into (right) littlea1413
unto litea1420
nigh byc1430
nearbyc1485
near handsa1500
as near as1517
mosta1538
next door1542
wellmost1548
all but1590
anewst1590
uneath1590
next to1611
nearlya1616
thereaboutsa1616
welly1615
thereabout1664
within (an) ames-ace ofa1670
anear1675
pretty much1682
three parts1711
newsta1728
only not1779
partly1781
in all but name1824
just about1836
nentes1854
near1855
nar1859
just1860
not-quite1870
nearabouta1878
effectively1884
nigh on1887
c1390 (?c1350) St. Bernard l. 325 in C. Horstmann Sammlung Altengl. Legenden (1878) 46 (MED) A slepyng mon to men is tolde As good as ded for þe tyme.
a1450 ( Libel Eng. Policy (Laud) in T. Wright Polit. Poems & Songs (1861) II. 187 But if Englond were nyghe as gode as gone.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Neh. iv. 12 The Iewes..tolde vs as good as ten tymes.
1577 M. Hanmer tr. Bp. Eusebius in Aunc. Eccl. Hist. viii. vii. 149 A fierce bull, which tossed..and left them as good as deade.
1604 T. Dekker & T. Middleton Honest Whore i. ii. sig. Biv To call you one a mine aunts, sister, were as good as call you arrant whoore.
a1631 J. Donne Βιαθανατος (1647) ii. vi. §8 She was brought very neer the fire, and as good as thrown in.
1644 F. Quarles Whipper Whipt 15 Did not the Doctor..as good as confesse himself an enemy to Anticeremonians?
a1687 W. Petty Polit. Arithm. (1691) i. 17 The Seamen have as good as 12s. in Wages, Victuals [etc.].
1711 London Gaz. No. 4806/2 The Marriage..is look'd upon to be as good as concluded.
1737 S. Berington Mem. G. di Lucca 55 These Considerations made me as good as resolv'd to go along with him.
1818 Ld. Byron Beppo xxxvi. 18 In law he was almost as good as dead.
a1871 T. Carlyle in J. W. Carlyle Lett. & Memorials (1883) III. 19 We had intended to make no visits this year, or as good as none.
1891 L. B. Walford Mischief of Monica viii I as good as said you would.
1935 Bulletin (Sydney) 3 Apr. 20/1 He was evidently applying the acid to ascertain if my tombstone was as good as ordered.
1993 Racing Post 8 Aug. 3/6 They as good as accused me of hooking the horse up.
2003 Washington Post 22 Sept. (Home ed.) a10/2 A situation in which so much of a population is immune to a disease that the few scattered ‘susceptibles’ are as good as immune to it.
(b) To the same extent or degree; as much. Cf. well adv. and n.4 Phrases 3c.
ΚΠ
a1500 ( J. Yonge tr. Secreta Secret. (Rawl.) (1898) 146 (MED) Thes goodes byth comyn als good to willde bestis as to men.
c. (as) good as gold.
(a) Very good, excellent; of the highest quality, value, or importance; in the best state or condition. In later use frequently New Zealand, expressing approval, agreement, or goodwill in response to a question or request.
ΚΠ
1635 J. Swan Speculum Mundi viii. §2. 401 The flesh of these birds is very pleasant, and every morsel as good as gold.
1864 Punch 19 Nov. 211/1 On each anniversary of the wedding-day it was as good as gold to listen to his recommendation of the Ring.
1876 W. M. Baker Carter Quarterman v. 42/2 It was as good as gold to see her face as she opened the door.
1915 Atlantic Monthly Nov. 659/2 This may seem a little thing to you, just as leisure may seem a mild form of excitement, but it was as good as gold or spring water to me.
1947 D. Davin For Rest of our Lives 77 ‘The men get a good breakfast?’ asked the Colonel. ‘Good as gold, sir. I tried it myself.’
1968 G. Slatter Pagan Game 52 Not stiff after yesterday's game are you? said the Coach solicitously. Good as gold, said the Captain.
1980 N. Marsh Photo-finish 36 ‘How's tricks, then, Bert? Good trip?’ ‘No trouble, Les.’ ‘Good as gold,’ said the helmsman.
2000 J. Thoene & L. Thoene Hands of Deliv. xiv. 269 If William gave his word, they knew it was as good as gold.
(b) Esp. of a child: very well-behaved.
ΚΠ
1839 T. Hood Lost Heir in Hood's Own 57 Sitting as good as gold in the gutter.
1886 F. H. Burnett Little Ld. Fauntleroy (1892) x. 191 She was as good as gold.
1914 T. S. Eliot Let. 26 July (1988) I. 48 I have just been to church, and feel as good as gold.
1958 H. M. Hayward & M. Harari tr. B. Pasternak Dr. Zhivago i. vii. 212 As soon as a few were bumped off by way of example, all the others became as good as gold.
1998 T. McHale Casualty (BBC TV rehearsal script) (O.E.D. Archive) 13th Ser. Episode 2. 93 She's been as good as gold. We were expecting her dad to come and pick her up.
d. as good as new: in a very good condition or state; close to the original state again after damage, injury, or illness. Cf. sense A. 6.
ΚΠ
1638 T. White tr. F. de Losa & A. Remon Life G. Lopes ii. vi. 164 It is not knowne that he euer had more than one [hat], and that remayned as good as new.
1667 Third Advice in Second & Third Advice to Painter 29 Bring home the old ones, I again will sew And dearn them up to be as good as new.
1726 J. Swift Gulliver II. iv. i. 5 They forced me into the Long-boat, letting me put on my best Suit of Cloaths, which were as good as New.
1784 Maryland Jrnl. 11 May (advt.) A large framed House almost as good as new.
a1817 J. Austen Northanger Abbey (1818) I. vii. 87 Seat, trunk, sword-case, splashing-board, lamps, silver moulding, all you see complete; the iron-work as good as new, or better. He asked fifty guineas. View more context for this quotation
1845 Scotsman 15 Feb. 3/5 (advt.) One excellent 12-inside omnibus, nearly as good as new... One handsome minibus, in good order.
1913 Hearst's Mag. Aug. 246/1 My shipmates, who, with joyful news in their hearts and fresh food in their stomachs, were feeling as good as new in spite of all they had suffered.
1963 Times 14 May 7/3 The bodywork is virtually as good as new after years of operation.
2003 Yours Oct. 65 (advt.) You can simply pop them in the washing machine to keep them looking as good as new for years to come.
e. as good as one's word (also promise): carrying out to the full one's promises or pledges; trustworthy in not breaking one's promises or assurances.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > carrying out > observance or carrying out a promise, law, etc. > be observant [verb (intransitive)] > of a promise
as good as one's word (also promise)c1560
the mind > language > speech > agreement > observance > observe, adhere, or keep a promise [verb (intransitive)]
to make (hold, pay, keep, yield or break) a vowc1290
beholda1400
to hold touch (also the touches)c1400
faithc1410
withholda1450
to keep touch1541
adherec1550
as good as one's word (also promise)c1560
inhere1563
watch1608
maximize1875
c1560 T. Becon Sycke Mannes Salue f. ccxxviiiv Shall we doubt, whether the Lorde our God wyl be as good as his word?
1587 J. Hooker Chron. Ireland 104/1 in Holinshed's Chron. (new ed.) II His true & honorable dealing, that to be as good as his word, would not seeme to shrinke from his freend.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Twelfth Night (1623) iii. iv. 316 For that I promis'd you Ile be as good as my word. View more context for this quotation
1662 S. Pepys Diary 28 Feb. (1970) III. 38 To be as good as my word, I bid Will get me a rod.
1713 J. Addison in Guardian 17 Aug. 2/1 He has been as good as his Promise.
1761 A. Gouverneur Let. 27 Feb. in Beekman Mercantile Papers (1956) I. 670 You Accuse me of not being as good as my word.
1826 London Mag. July 404 He was as good as his word: he did go and sit down opposite a great French pie, besieged it in form, stormed, sacked, and pillaged it in a most complete and soldierly manner.
1864 Athenæum 29 Oct. 559/1 ‘A bad egg’,..a fellow who had not proved to be as good as his promise.
1928 Pop. Sci. Monthly Mar. 159/1 I promised her I'd get them to the Hilo in time, and I'm as good as my word.
1996 J. Garwood Wedding (1997) 159 Fortunately, Jamie was as good as her promise.
1999 C. S. Murray Boogie Man (2002) vii. 184 ‘I'm gonna get real funky now..,’ he announces, and he is as good as his word.
P5. Phrases of the predicative adjective.
†a. †good under (also with) sail: (of a ship) fast. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1548 Hall's Vnion: Edward IV f. ccix The kynges shyp was good with sayle.
1561 T. Becon Sycke Mans Salve (1572) Pref. A iij ‘My dayes’, saith Job..‘are passed away as the ships that be good vnder saile, & as the Egle that flyeth vnto the pray’.
1633 S. Otes Explan. Generall Epist. St. Iude vi. 68 Wee must march on in Religion, like Iehu in his Chariot, swiftly and couragiously; wee must be like the ships of Merchants, that bee good under saile.
b. too good to be true: expressing disbelief or doubt that something could genuinely be as good as it seems.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > belief > disbelief, incredulity > [adjective] > unbelievable
unlevelyOE
untrowablea1382
incredible1412
unbelievedc1425
inopinable?a1475
unbelievable1548
discredible1580
too good to be true1580
incomprehensible1604
incredulousa1616
intestablea1631
inconceivable1646
unpersuasive1651
inconceptiblea1676
1578 G. Whetstone Promos & Cassandra: 1st Pt. i. iii. sig. Biij I thought thy talke was too sweete to be true.]
1580 T. Lupton (title) Siuquila. Too good to be true.
1594 J. Lyly Mother Bombie iv. ii. sig. F3v It was too good to be true.
1606 S. Daniel Queenes Arcadia v. iv. sig. K3 My heart hath dwelt so long in house With that first tale, at this which is come new, Cannot be put in trust with my desire So soone, besides 'tis too good to be true.
1681 J. Flavell Method of Grace vii. 142 They thought it was too good to be true.
1797 W. Huntington Living Testimonies II. lxix. 367 These last letters of yours have again revived my hope..; though I thought, in reading them, that their contents were too good to be true of me.
1849 ‘G. Eliot’ Let. May (1954) I. 282 There is a sort of blasphemy in that proverbial phrase ‘too good to be true’.
1893 F. Remington Let. 24 Jan. (1988) 162 It is simply out of sight..too good to be true.
1908 W. S. Churchill My Afr. Journey v. 90 It is too good to be true. One can hardly believe that such an attractive spot can be cursed with malignant attributes.
1961 Bible (New Eng.) Luke xxiv. 41 They were still unconvinced, still wondering, for it seemed too good to be true.
2002 Independent 3 May i. 14/2 Was it all just too good to be true?
c. to be good enough (also so good as) to: used in making a polite or courteous request. Cf. sense A. 15a, to have the goodness to do something at goodness n. Phrases 2. Now formal or somewhat archaic.
ΚΠ
?1531 R. Barnes Supplic. Kinge Henrye VIII f. xixv Yf he found me in any errours, that he wolde be so good as to teache me, for I desyred to lerne the veryte.
1652 H. Cogan tr. M. de Scudery Ibrahim ii. iii. 45 He besought her to be so good as to relate to him all that had arrived unto her.
1760 B. Gomez & S. Hart Let. 16 Dec. in J. R. Marcus Early Amer. Jewry (1951) I. iv. 85 You will be good enough to engage a suitable master..to teach our children the Hebrew language.
1796 J. Austen Let. 18 Sept. (1995) 12 My Father will be so good as to fetch home his prodigal Daughter from Town.
1834 Calcutta Christian Observer Nov. 571 Be good enough to send me 40 romanized writing copies for the schools here.
1862 C. Darwin Let. 18 Mar. in Corr. (1997) X. 124 Will you be so good as to attend to separate note about Refereeship.
1925 Amer. Speech 1 36/1 ‘Can the ad lib!’ which means, politely, ‘Will you be good enough to hush!’
1946 C. Bush Case Second Chance viii. 118 You might be so good as to say I rang him on rather urgent business.
1994 G. Trease Bring out Banners (1995) ii. 16 Beg pardon, madam—the purser's compliments, and would you be good enough to come below to his office?
2006 R. Everett Red Carpets & Other Banana Skins iv. 23 First offenders were congenially shown the ropes: ‘If you'd be so good as to bend over that chair, I'm afraid I'm going to give you six.’
d. to look (also to be) good enough to eat: (chiefly of a person) to be very attractive or alluring.
ΚΠ
1844 ‘J. Slick’ High Life N.Y. (new ed.) I. xiii. 202 There was a gal close by her dressed out to kill, her shoes were tied on with red ribbons..that looked good enough to eat.
1895 Goshen (Indiana) Mid-week News 15 May 4/5 ‘You look good enough to eat!’ Ah, her fatal gift of beauty!
1980 N. Christensen tr. K. Thorup Baby i. 7 ‘She's good enough to eat,’ Suzie agreed, and she watched the couples on the dance floor.
2007 Times 1 Dec. (Knowledge section) 25/3 The entire cast looks good enough to eat in Aurore Popineau's costumes.
e. North American. to be good to go: to be ready or prepared, esp. for a particular activity or action; to be all set.
ΚΠ
1981 Soldiers Feb. 35/2 If anything ever comes down, we'd be good to go.
1997 J. Taylor Franco Amer. Dreams 126 I glance in my compact one more time, inspect my teeth for any hint of the Mexican feast that my stomach is currently digesting and I'm good to go.
2004 Time 11 Oct. 90/2 Despite..protests from..conservative voices, the [gay and lesbian] cable venture is good to go.
P6. In exclamations.
a.
(a) In exclamations containing the name of God or another term of religious significance, expressing surprise, horror, excitement, etc., as good God (see god n. and int. Phrases 1e(a)), good hallow, good heavens (see heaven n. Phrases 3b), good Lord, etc.
ΚΠ
c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Clerk's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 852 O goode god, how gentil, and how kynde Ye semed.
1533 T. More Apologye f. 50 Turnynge his tale to god, cryenge oute, O good lorde, yf yt had not ben writen by the euangelystes in those dayes, howe sholde we do in these dayes.
1568 T. North tr. A. de Guevara Dial Princes (rev. ed.) iv. xviii. 163 Good lord yt is a wonder to see what sturr there is in that mans house.
1673 J. Dryden Assignation v. i. 58 Good Heavens, that I should live to see this day!
1813 Examiner 30 Oct. 703/1 Good God Almighty! young man, don't hurt me: I'll give you the bundle.
1827 Chield Morice in W. Motherwell Minstrelsy 270 Good hallow gentle sir and dame, My errand canna wait.
1890 W. Besant Demoniac v. 60 ‘Good Lord! What Fools!’ said the Physician.
1920 Harper's Mag. Jan. 185/1 ‘Good Lord alive!’ he breathed. ‘Good Lord! No!’
1964 R. Dahl Charlie & Chocolate Factory ii. 12 Good heavens above! I don't know what's the matter with me!
1978 J. Carroll Mortal Friends i. v. 60 Good Christ, they're right! Once you're married you're done for!
2002 W. Weaver tr. U. Eco Baudolino (2003) xiii. 155 Good Lord Jesus, it's true: you're Ghini!
(b) With another word euphemistically substituted, as good golly, good gravy, good land, good me, etc.good gracious: see gracious adj. and adv. Phrases. good grief: see grief n. 8a. good lack: see lack n.2
ΚΠ
1638 A. Cowley Loves Riddle v. sig. E6 Your son! goodlack.
1768 O. Goldsmith Good Natur'd Man i. 14 Good gracious, can I believe my eyes or my ears!
1798 in Spirit of Public Jrnls. (1799) 2 216 I am ready to faint! Dear me! O la! Good me!
1845 J. F. Cooper Chainbearer I. vii. 189 Good land! Why don't they go to work?
a1854 J. F. Kelly Humors of Falconbridge (1856) 357 ‘Good gravy, but don't they?’..says our Yankee.
1884 S. O. Jewett Mate of Daylight 184 ‘Good King Agrippy!’ said the amazed man, snatching it, and then holding it and looking at it as if he were afraid it would bite.
1886 Monthly Jrnl. (Brotherhood Locomotive Engineers) Aug. 532/1 Good golly! No wonder he never laughed none.
1909 M. E. Freeman Winning Lady 256 Good lad! ain't you goin' to let that poor child stay up?
1962 K. Vonnegut in If Jan. 62/2 ‘That upsets you?’ he said. ‘Good gravy, no!’ she said.
1986 B. Fussell I hear Amer. Cooking p. xxiii My mother said, ‘Good governor!’ and my father said, ‘Oh, shucks!’
2001 Sunday Mail (Brisbane) 6 May (Body + Soul section) 25 Good golly! What have you been up to?!?
†b. good time of day: expressing good wishes on meeting or parting. Cf. good day n. and int., good even n. and int., good morrow n. and int., goodnight n., int., and adj., etc. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > courtesy > courteous act or expression > use formal courtesy in act or expression [verb (intransitive)] > greet > greet with specific words
good time of day1597
good-morning1802
chin-chin1817
1597 W. Shakespeare Richard III i. i. 123 Good time of day vnto my gratious Lord. View more context for this quotation
1639 J. Ford Ladies Triall iii. sig. F2v Good time of day, and peace, Oes: health to your Lordship.
1798 J. Bayley Forester v. 100 Good time o' day, and happily met to see a sport.
1813 C. Lamb Mr. H. ii. i. 24 Good time of day to you, Mr. Hogsflesh.
1842 T. Cross Edric v. vii. 98 Good time of day to William's chosen chief.
c. very good: expressing assent, approval, or acquiescence. Also (more informally) jolly good. Cf. very well at well adv. 23.
ΚΠ
1606 G. Chapman Gentleman Vsher i. sig. A3 Stro. I would acquaint you more with Ladie Margaret, For speciall reason. Cyn. Very good, my Lord. Then I must needes go fit me for that presence.
1687 A. Behn Luckey Chance iii. iv. 37 Sir Feeb. Do you not know that I am married Sir? And this my Wedding Night? Sir Cau. Very good Sir.
1764 Gentleman's Mag. Dec. 561/2 Entry. Sir, my question is concerning the instigation of the Devil. Bill. Very good, Sir.
1829 F. Marryat Naval Officer III. iv. 101 Very good, my lord.
1837 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers xxxi. 330 ‘Very good, Sir,’ responded Mrs. Raddle, with lofty politeness. ‘Then p'raps, Sir, you'll’ [etc.].
1925 P. G. Wodehouse Carry on, Jeeves iv. 81 ‘Mr Bickersteth is in a hole, Jeeves,..and wants you to rally round.’ ‘Very good, sir.’
1940 M. Dickens Mariana vii. 223 ‘Jolly good,’ said Pierre, who was full of schoolboy Anglicisms. ‘So will I. Garçon!’
1995 I. Banks Whit (1996) xix. 311 Allan nodded. ‘Good idea; sleep on it.’‘Jolly good!’ Uncle Mo said.
d. colloquial.
(a) good for you (also him, her, etc.): used to express praise or approval of something said or done by the specified person, or enjoyment in the person's success or good fortune.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > approval or sanction > commendation or praise > expressions of commendation [interjection]
well-donea1500
macte1573
hear- him1727
hear1768
that's your sort1792
top marks1829
that's the spirit1853
good for you (also him, her, etc.)1855
good man1887
good egg1903
attaboy1909
to go up (also down) one1909
right on1911
hotcha1931
thataboy1936
hubba-hubba1944
chapeau1976
1855 J. B. Jones Winkles xxxvi. 410 Good for you, father Xavier! I will acknowledge to as much. There shall be no dispute on that point.
1861 in M. W. Disher Cowells in Amer. (1934) 297 Sam's share $43.33.—Good for him.
1870 L. M. Alcott Old-fashioned Girl iii. 43 Good for you, Polly!
1896 C. M. Yonge Release ii. xvi. 234 ‘Old Sukey Shrimper,..has orders to call every Friday!’ ‘Good for Sukey,’ quietly observed Mr. Darpent.
1904 H. James Golden Bowl I. x. 193 ‘Good for you!’ Maggie smiled.
1925 ‘D. Yates’ As Other Men Are 111 ‘Good for you,’ she said. ‘You've put it uncommonly well.’
1956 A. L. Rowse Early Churchills 74 Good for Sir Winston, we may say.
1976 C. Storr Unnatural Fathers xiii. 131 So Queenie's turned up trumps, has she? Good for her!
2004 S. Hall Electric Michelangelo 324 Well good for you.
(b) good on you (also him, her, etc.) = good for you (also him, her, etc.) at Phrases 6d(a). Chiefly Australian and New Zealand before the 1970s.With the stress on good, unlike good for you where the stress is on you.
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1881 E. Coller in C. D. Field Recent Gems Poetry 104 Well, good-by for the present, old friend, if you won't have any more; You won't forget about the bills? Good on yer! O revwar!
1905 J. M. Thomson Bush Boys N.Z. 44 First one and then another came up and congratulated in true British boys' style. ‘Good on you, Dinkums, old man. Put it there, old feller.’
1907 Truth (Sydney) 11 Aug. 1/7 Good on them! Another ship captain..has been fined £100 for landing a smelful alien on our shores, to contaminate the country.
1959 N.Z. Listener 21 Aug. 8/4 ‘Good on you!’ said Dad, smacking my new leg approvingly, ‘that's the spirit.’
1961 P. White Riders in Chariot xiii. 456 ‘Goodonya, mate!’ called the heartier of the females.
1974 B. Friel Freedom of City i. 26 Good on you, young fella. Keep it rising.
1996 J. T. Hospital Oyster (1997) 350 Good on yer, mates, he wanted to say—not that they gave a damn about Major Miner's opinion on the matter.
2004 D. Cosper Wedding Season i. 117 They're in love, and I say good on her. I'd trade places with her in a minute.
e. Originally U.S. I'm good: (used in response to a question or request) no thank you; I'm not in need of anything.
ΚΠ
1966 J. Ball Cool Cottontail x. 113 ‘More beer?’ ‘I'm still good, thanks.’
1991 L. B. Scott Expendables (1993) 131 ‘You want another one?’ Shawn glanced at his half-full bottle and shook his head. ‘Naw, I'm good.’
2003 Toronto Star (Nexis) 6 May c3 ‘Try these on Paige,’ says Emma, holding up the smallest pair of pink shorts I've ever seen in my life. ‘Thanks, I'm good!’ I tell her, laughing.
P7. colloquial. In metaphorical phrases using sense B. 10.
a. colloquial (originally U.S.). to deliver (also come up with, produce) the goods: to do what one has promised to do or what is necessary to meet others' expectations or requirements; to provide that which has been promised or is expected.
ΘΚΠ
the world > people > person > [noun]
hadc900
lifesmaneOE
maneOE
world-maneOE
ghostOE
wyeOE
lifeOE
son of manOE
wightc1175
soulc1180
earthmanc1225
foodc1225
person?c1225
creaturec1300
bodyc1325
beera1382
poppetc1390
flippera1400
wat1399
corsec1400
mortal?a1425
deadly?c1450
hec1450
personagec1485
wretcha1500
human1509
mundane1509
member1525
worma1556
homo1561
piece of flesh1567
sconce1567
squirrel?1567
fellow creature1572
Adamite1581
bloat herringa1586
earthling1593
mother's child1594
stuff1598
a piece of flesh1600
wagtail1607
bosom1608
fragment1609
boots1623
tick1631
worthy1649
earthlies1651
snap1653
pippin1665
being1666
personal1678
personality1678
sooterkin1680
party1686
worldling1687
human being1694
water-wagtail1694
noddle1705
human subject1712
piece of work1713
somebody1724
terrestrial1726
anybody1733
individual1742
character1773
cuss1775
jig1781
thingy1787
bod1788
curse1790
his nabs1790
article1796
Earthite1814
critter1815
potato1815
personeityc1816
nibs1821
somebody1826
tellurian1828
case1832
tangata1840
prawn1845
nigger1848
nut1856
Snooks1860
mug1865
outfit1867
to deliver the goods1870
hairpin1879
baby1880
possum1894
hot tamale1895
babe1900
jobbie1902
virile1903
cup of tea1908
skin1914
pisser1918
number1919
job1927
apple1928
mush1936
face1944
jong1956
naked ape1965
oke1970
punter1975
the world > people > person > woman > [noun]
wifeeOE
womaneOE
womanOE
queanOE
brideOE
viragoc1000
to wifeOE
burdc1225
ladyc1225
carlinec1375
stotc1386
marec1387
pigsneyc1390
fellowa1393
piecec1400
femalea1425
goddessa1450
fairc1450
womankindc1450
fellowessa1500
femininea1513
tega1529
sister?1532
minikinc1540
wyec1540
placket1547
pig's eye1553
hen?1555
ware1558
pussy?a1560
jade1560
feme1566
gentlewoman1567
mort1567
pinnacea1568
jug1569
rowen1575
tarleather1575
mumps1576
skirt1578
piga1586
rib?1590
puppy1592
smock1592
maness1594
sloy1596
Madonna1602
moll1604
periwinkle1604
Partlet1607
rib of man1609
womanship?1609
modicum1611
Gypsy1612
petticoata1616
runniona1616
birda1627
lucky1629
she-man1640
her1646
lost rib1647
uptails1671
cow1696
tittup1696
cummer17..
wife1702
she-woman1703
person1704
molly1706
fusby1707
goody1708
riding hood1718
birdie1720
faggot1722
piece of goods1727
woman body1771
she-male1776
biddy1785
bitch1785
covess1789
gin1790
pintail1792
buer1807
femme1814
bibi1816
Judy1819
a bit (also bundle) of muslin1823
wifie1823
craft1829
shickster?1834
heifer1835
mot1837
tit1837
Sitt1838
strap1842
hay-bag1851
bint1855
popsy1855
tart1864
woman's woman1868
to deliver the goods1870
chapess1871
Dona1874
girl1878
ladykind1878
mivvy1881
dudess1883
dudette1883
dudine1883
tid1888
totty1890
tootsy1895
floozy1899
dame1902
jane1906
Tom1906
frail1908
bit of stuff1909
quim1909
babe1911
broad1914
muff1914
manhole1916
number1919
rossie1922
bit1923
man's woman1928
scupper1935
split1935
rye mort1936
totsy1938
leg1939
skinny1941
Richard1950
potato1957
scow1960
wimmin1975
womyn1975
womxn1991
the mind > possession > supply > [noun] > that which is supplied
farec1275
warnishingc1340
supplyment1589
to deliver the goods1870
the world > action or operation > carrying out > execute, perform, or carry out [verb (transitive)] > carry into effect (a command, promise, plan, etc.) > fully or as expected
accomplishc1405
master1624
to deliver (also come up with, produce) the goods1870
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > foundation in fact, validity > [noun] > a genuine thing or person
the (real, true, etc.) Simon Pure1776
(the) genuine article1794
(the) clean potato1822
the real McCoy1848
the pure (also true, genuine, etc.) quill1854
to deliver the goods1870
the McCoy1931
straight arrow1969
1870 Dubuque (Iowa) Daily Herald 15 Mar. The politicians could make the bargain but could not deliver the goods.
1879 Congress. Rec. 4 Apr. 236/1 There are men in the North who walk around..saying; ‘See me,..I will take you to victory.’ They cannot deliver the goods.
1880 Congress. Rec. 25 May 3758/1 ‘I will pledge every vote on our side of the chamber.’..‘You cannot deliver the goods.’
1903 Salt Lake Tribune 11 Sept. 8/5 The audience came up with the goods and amused the few that were there with some excellent riding.
1913 R. Hichens Way of Ambition 189 Someone who can ‘produce the goods’.
1936 ‘F. Beeding’ Eight Crooked Trenches vi. 93 The goods, as they said in England, would this time be delivered.
1959 N.Z. Listener 12 June 7/3 Whether their forwards, big as they are, will be able to produce the goods, we don't know.
1968 Listener 18 July 88/1 This body has sometimes offered help to coloured workers when they were on strike, but it has never delivered the goods.
1997 Sun 21 Aug. 21/2 They have come up with the goods again and really are the best band in the world.
2008 G. Anderson Cityboy (2009) vii. 320 I couldn't believe it but the coke, booze and my nerves were preventing me from delivering the goods.
b. to get (also have) the goods on: to obtain (or possess) information about (a person) which may be used to the detriment of that person, giving one power or control over him or her; (also occasionally more generally) to have an advantage or superiority over.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > prosperity > success > mastery or superiority > have or gain mastery or superiority over [verb (transitive)] > have or get (someone) at a disadvantage
to have at avail1470
to catch, have, hold, take (one) at (a or the) vantagec1510
to gain of1548
to be to the forehand with1558
to have (take) on (in, at) the lurch1591
to get the sun of1598
to have (also get) a good hand against1600
to take (have, etc.) at a why-nota1612
to weather on or upon1707
to have the laugh on a person1767
to have a (or the) pull of (also over, on)1781
to get to windward of1783
to have the bulge on1841
to give points to1854
to get (have) the drop on1869
to hold over1872
to have an (or the) edge on1896
to get (also have) the goods on1903
to get (or have) the jump on1912
to have (got) by the balls1918
1903 St. Louis Med. Rev. 47 240/1 So far he has ‘got the goods’ on 65 of them, which means that he has discovered that number practicing without a state certificate.
1913 A. Bennett Regent i. v. 134 You got the goods on her. And she deserved it.
1919 P. G. Wodehouse Their Mutual Child ii. xiv. 270 I'd been in a ring-seat and had the goods on him same as if I'd taken a snap-shot.
1928 Observer 15 July 18/2 ‘Well, the Old Country sure has the goods on everyone else,’ said one of them [sc. Canadian teachers].
1952 M. McCarthy Groves of Academe (1953) xiii. 263 He had a sudden inkling that they would have liked to get the goods on Mulcahy.
1984 D. Koontz Darkfall i. i. 40 We figured if we could get the goods on him, get enough evidence to guarantee him a prison term, he'd crack and cooperate rather than do hard time.
1997 E. White Farewell Symphony (1998) vii. 283 Would he want someone floating around in the small world of magazine publishing who had the goods on him?
2009 N.Y. Mag. 23 Feb. 133/1 At one point, the hero is this close to getting the goods on the big bad banker.
c. to be the goods: to be very good or impressive; to be exactly what is required; to be the genuine article.
ΚΠ
1904 Cosmopolitan May 122/1 ‘I'll agree to make it twenty-five [dollars] at the end of sixty days if you are the goods,’ said the editor.
1915 P. G. Wodehouse Psmith, Journalist xv. 109 You are, if I may say so, the goods. You are, beyond a doubt, supremely the stuff.
1931 Times Lit. Suppl. 28 May 426/2 But to the ‘General’..President Bonilla and the Honduras were ‘the goods’ in 1911.
1949 D. Sinclair Secret Riders Farm iv. 32 ‘This,’ said Mike dreamily, ‘is the goods, the real McCoy.’
1968 F. Exley Fan's Notes ii. 49 He wore black, grained shoes..; though I had never before been conscious of seeing a pair, I knew they were the goods: custom-made.
1998 C. Chidgey In Fishbone Church (2000) 70 Today I went with Mum to see Beryl & I also saw James Clifford for the first time. Believe me, he is the goods.
d. Chiefly U.S. to have the goods: to have the necessary ability, character, etc.
ΚΠ
a1910 ‘O. Henry’ Rolling Stones (1916) 200 Take it from me—he's got the goods.
1912 C. Mathewson Pitching in Pinch ii. 33 Now O'Toole is all right if he has the pitching goods.
1943 E. B. White Let. 22 Aug. (1976) 244 I have little hesitancy in recommending him for a shot at editorial work. He lacks practical experience but he has the goods.
1984 E. Jong Parachutes & Kisses ii. 33 So what if the world's applause meant nothing in the light of eternity;—the lack of it could embitter the soul in the here and now, especially when you knew you had the goods.
2000 CMJ New Music Rep. 24 Apr. 34/1 If Agnostic Front turns up in your town, go see them. The hardcore grandfathers still have the goods live.
e. piece of goods: see piece n. Phrases 11. Also a nasty bit of goods: see nasty adj. 2c. damaged goods: see damaged adj. b.
P8. colloquial. Phrases in which no good or a bit of no good denotes something unpleasant or undesirable.
a. to be a bit of no good: (of a person) to be unscrupulous, dishonest, or untrustworthy; to be ‘a bad lot’. Cf. no good adj. and n.
ΚΠ
1935 J. C. Snaith But even So xxxvii. 131 It pains me, sir, to say it, but in my opinion he's a bit-of-no-good.
1971 G. Avery Likely Lad xiii. 153 She's a bit of no good. Cheat a blind man out of a crooked farthing, she would.
b. to do oneself a bit of no good and variants: to cause oneself a considerable amount of harm or injury; to take a course of action which ends is ultimately to one's detriment. Cf. to do (a person, oneself) a mischief at mischief n. Phrases 1b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > [noun] > action > instance of
scathe-deedc1275
scathe-workc1275
wrake13..
mischief?1418
incommodityc1450
wramp1669
to go in a perisher1864
to do oneself a bit of no good1914
1914 Salt Lake Tribune 2 Aug. If we get into a blow outside and start shipping seas, the salt water might do the beauties a bit of no good.
1930 P. G. Wodehouse Very Good, Jeeves v. 127 Just one crack like that out of him..and I should infallibly have done his upper maxillary a bit of no good.
1958 E. A. Robertson Justice of Heart iii. 34 They've frittered the money away, and done themselves a bit of no-good, all round.
2009 Times (Nexis) 30 June 64 The big courts inspire and Centre Court inspires doubly: at least, it does, if you're up for the game and ready to do a potential champion a bit of no good.
c. up to (a bit of) no good: doing something wrong. Also to get up to (a bit of) no good: to get into trouble or mischief. Cf. up adv.2 19c.
ΚΠ
1823 S. Wilderspin Importance educating Infant Poor 160 I ax'd him what he was doing, and he said, nothing, mother, but I thought he was up to no good.
1879 ‘R. Elliott’ John Lyon xvii. 179 It's my belief young Winter's up to no good, and knows more then he'll tell.
1950 C. S. Lewis Let. 29 Sept. (2007) III. 56 Pushkin is up to a bit of no good in the neighbour's gardens.
a1953 D. Thomas Under Milk Wood (1954) 30 Me, Nogood Boyo, up to no good in the wash-house.
1958 L. A. G. Strong Treason in Egg x. 183 The pair of them were up to quite a bit of no good.
1970 Daily Gleaner (Kingston, Jamaica) 23 July 6/4 Car thieves were getting up to no good outside her house.
1974 W. Foley Child in Forest i. xi. 120 Sure enough, when the kids were asleep, them two sneaked out to get up to no good wi' a couple of men in the ferns.
1997 R. Boylan Killoyle x. 66 He used to say something very like that when we kids were getting up to a bit of no good.
2006 F. Kiernan & G. Hemphill Still Game: Scripts I. v. 142 I caught Tam and Eric up to no good in the foyer.
P9. In proverbs and proverbial expressions.
a. ill-gotten (also evil-gotten) goods never prosper and variants.
ΚΠ
1539 R. Taverner tr. Erasmus Prouerbes sig. C.viijv Euyll gotten good go euyll away.
1543 T. Becon Inuectyue agenst Swearing f. xliiii Euel gotten goodes wyl neuer come to good profe.
1546 J. Heywood Dialogue Prouerbes Eng. Tongue i. xi. sig. Eiiv Evill gotten good neuer proueth well.
1615 W. Welde tr. Janua Linguarum 21 Goods euill gotten are not durable.
1761 J. Parsons Thirty Lect. Princ. Christian Relig. xviii. 190 Ill-gotten Goods never thrive or benefit the Possessor.
1810 L. Richmond Fathers Eng. Church V. 600 Evil-gotten goods cannot long prosper.
1892 Daily News 10 Feb. 5/1 The millionaire, like the ordinary citizen..probably finds that given goods never prosper.
1908 Outlook (N.Y.) 11 Apr. 819/2 Rabelais..allowed his readers to infer that ill-gotten goods seldom prosper.
b. Proverb. good men are scarce: men of high integrity or capability, or who possess desirable qualities, are rare. In later use also good men are hard to find (also in singular). Now chiefly with reference to finding a suitable man for employment or marriage.
ΚΠ
1609 D. Tuvill tr. Juvenal in Ess., Morall & Theol. 92 Good men are scarce, No age so many brings.
1734 Bayle's Hist. Crit. Dict. (ed. 2) I. 20 Good men are scarce, the Just are thinly sown.
1892 Wheel & Cycling Trade Rev. 23 Dec. 26/2 Another favorite scheme of these ‘Kings’ is to contract for 300, 500 or 1,000 wheels... That contract is worth just ten wheels... Is it any wonder why ‘good men are scarce’?
1913 Mining & Engin. World 1 Nov. 795/1 In the east there is a large class of competent men to pick from..while in the gold mining districts good men are scarce.
1957 Los Angeles Times 18 Aug. ii. 4/1 Washington has been singing the blues lately on the theme that good men are hard to find, in this case, being men who are qualified and able to assume high-level jobs in government.
1986 Ebony May 29/2 But, as women are discovering, the cliché, ‘A good man is hard to find,’ is more than just a catchy phrase—it is a reality.
2013 Philadelphia Inquirer (Nexis) 26 May h8 Because I know a good man is hard to find, I'm not going to be too picky about him.
c. Originally and chiefly U.S. Proverb. good fences make good neighbours and variants: good fences and well-defined boundaries lead to peaceful coexistence between neighbours. Also figurative and in extended use.
ΚΠ
1640 E. Rogers Let. in Coll. Mass. Hist. Soc. (1865) 4th Ser. VII. 215 A good fence helpeth to keepe peace betweene neighbours.]
1815 H. H. Brackenridge Mod. Chivalry (rev. ed.) IV. ii. xiii. 171 Good fences..preserve good neighbourhoods.
1834 Genesee (Rochester, N.Y.) Farmer 24 May 165/2 Good fences make good neighbors.
1877 Congregational Q. Apr. 270 As in social life so in church life, ‘Good fences make good neighbors.’
1914 R. Frost North of Boston 12 My apple trees will never get across And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him. He only says, ‘Good fences make good neighbours.’
1971 Alternative Oct. 7/2 Conservatism believes that a primary threat to the good life is the use of political power by some individuals to invade the private affairs of other individuals. Conservatives feel that good fences make good neighbors.
2004 N.Y. Times 4 July 3/2 (headline) India and Pakistan: Good Fences Make Good Neighbors... Up the hillside..is a fence, meant to keep at bay infiltrators from Pakistan..seeking to separate..Kashmir from India.
d. Proverb. (only) the good die young (or early) and variants. Cf. whom the gods love die young at god n. and int. Phrases 4f(b).
ΚΠ
1697 D. Defoe Char. Dr. S. Annesley 3 The best of Men cannot suspend their Fate; The Good die early, and the Bad die late.
1814 W. Wordsworth Excursion i. 27 The good die first, And they whose hearts are dry as summer dust Burn to the socket. View more context for this quotation
1890 New Eng. Med. Gaz. Apr. 167 A forcible reminder of the old saying that the good die young—this woman lived!
1906 Tom Watson's Mag. Jan. 340/2 Only the good die early, you know.
1960 Pittsburgh Courier 6 Feb. a10 They say only the good die young, so perhaps I'll be around a while longer.
2011 City North News (Brisbane) (Nexis) 20 Oct. 7 At just 31 years of age, his tragic death proved only the good die young.
e. the only good —— is a dead —— and variants. Cf. sense A. 17.
(a) the only good Indian is a dead Indian. Used as an expression of bitter conflict or absolute hostility or lack of trust, esp. with strong overtones of racial prejudice.The origin of the phrase has frequently been attributed to the American general, Philip Sheridan (1831–88), although there is no evidence to support the attribution.
ΚΠ
1868 J. M. Cavanaugh in Congress. Globe 28 May 2638/3 I have never in my life seen a good Indian (and I have seen thousands) except when I have seen a dead Indian.
1892 23rd Ann. Rep. Board Indian Commissioners (U.S.) 1891 110 I contradict the statement that the only good Indian is a dead Indian. The only good Indian is an educated Indian.
1915 J. Buchan Salute to Adventurers v. 79 Never trust an Indian. The only good kind is the dead kind.
1970 P. Berton National Dream i. v. 36 They carried six-shooters on their hips and they believed that the only good Indian was a dead one.
2011 E. Colorado & H. Colorado Chicomoztoc–Mimixcoa–Cloud Serpents in E. C. Ramírez & C. Casiano La Voz Latina vi. 159 E: The only good Indian shops at Walmart's and eats at McDonald's. H: The only good Indian is a dead Indian.
(b) In extended uses, esp. as applied to a disliked nation or ethnic group.
ΚΠ
1881 Chicago Tribune 5 Oct. 6/4 (heading) The only good burglar is a dead burglar.
1897 Life 20 May 420/3 It is evident that in General Weyler's mind, the only good Cuban is a dead Cuban.
1901 Afro-Amer. Ledger 7 Sept. Some persons are unscientific enough to believe that the only good mosquito is a dead mosquito.
1934 G. B. Shaw On Rocks in Wks. XXXI. 144 ‘Stone dead hath no fellow’ said Cromwell when he tried to exterminate the Irish. ‘The only good nigger is a dead nigger’ say the Americans of the Ku-Klux temperament.
1941 ‘Faugh-a-Ballagh’ 34 58/2 He concluded by saying that the only good boche was a dead boche, and it was up to all ‘Faughs’ to make as many boches as possible good.
1995 Extrapolation Spring 23 The suspicion that the only good Klingon is either a dead one or, at least, a dying one.
1998 G. M. Fraser in National Rev. 26 Jan. 47 They had no compassion for their enemy, only a deep abiding hatred; they believed the only good Jap was a dead one.
f. Australian. no good to Gundy: of no use or advantage whatsoever; no good at all.
ΚΠ
1906 Bulletin (Sydney) 19 Dec. 14/1 Re..origin and meaning of..‘No good to gundy’. ‘Gundy’ is a corruption of a Welsh word meaning to steal, shake, pinch, or hook, and the expression simply means that a thing is not worth stealing.
1915 Truth (Sydney) 24 Jan. 11/8 Five or six drinks ain't no good to Gundy.
1955 N. Pulliam I traveled Lonely Land 324 ‘Just another Canb'ra,’ they tell you. ‘Worthless, absolutely no good to Gundy.’
1968 S. Gore Holy Smoke 35 ‘This is no good to gundy,’ they say.
1989 D. Holman Beauty & Beast i. i, in No Worries 117 He's no good to gundy. And never will be.
g. no good deed goes unpunished and variants: used to imply that all good deeds result in adverse or negative consequences for the person carrying out the act. Frequently ironic.
ΚΠ
1938 J. Agate Diary 25 Jan. in Ego 3 275 Pavia was in great form to‐day: ‘Every good deed brings its own punishment.’
1942 Waterloo (Iowa) Daily Courier 5 Oct. 15 No good deed goes unpunished in Washington.
1994 F. E. Abernethy Texas Folklore Soc. ii. 79 No good deed goes unpunished, and I have since had regrets.
2013 Irish Daily Mail (Nexis) 16 Aug. 12 He learns the hard way that no good deed goes unpunished when he tries to help out some local teens and winds up getting jumped by a trio of gutter punks.
h. the good, the bad, and the ugly: used to designate the varied range of aspects or qualities associated with or attributed to a specified item, event, group of people, etc.With allusion to the title of the 1966 film The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. This title translates Italian singular nouns (Il buono, Il bruto, Il cattivo) but in allusive use is frequently understood as plural in English.
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1969 N.Y. Times 24 Dec. 29/7 What intrigues Calkins..is the opportunity at last to discuss the good, bad, and ugly of college athletics in a classroom instead of a dormitory.
1986 P. Gossage Close to Charisma iii. 67 The Liberal workshop..was, as a marvellous Jamaican cabby told me, ‘a good way to see the good, the bad, and the ugly’.
1991 E Mag. Jan. 31/2 Amid the good, the bad and the ugly, 1990 will be remembered for the eco-awareness that permeated just about every corner of our culture.
2013 Guardian (Nexis) 24 Aug. 1 This week the Association of British Insurers for the first time exposed the good, the bad and the ugly of the annuity world.
i. good wine needs no bush: see bush n.1 5c. a change is as good as a rest: see change n. Phrases 4c. evil communications corrupt good manners: see communication n. Phrases. (the road to) hell is paved with good intentions: see hell n. and int. Phrases 1b. it's an ill wind that blows nobody good: see wind n.1 16a. you can't keep a good man down: see keep v. Additions. a miss is as good as a mile: see miss n.1 7a. a nod is as good as a wink (to a blind horse): see nod n.1 Phrases 1b.
P10. colloquial (originally U.S.). good and proper: thoroughly. Cf. sense A. 12c.
ΚΠ
1919 Chicago Herald & Examiner 10 Oct. 11/1 They were licked and licked good and proper.
1928 Daily Express 2 Feb. 9/2 Colonel Ernest Cassell Maxwell..said..‘She went through it..good and proper, and I am sorry for her.’
1937 A. Christie Dumb Witness (2002) ii. 25 Aunt Emily ticked me off good and proper.
1988 M. Gee Grace iv. 49 He will sort her out good and proper later.
2008 S. Toltz Fraction of Whole vi. 583 Well, mate, the first time I stuffed it up good and proper.
P11. in good time: see time n., int., and conj. Phrases 3k(b) (also in good hour: see hour n. 4b). good old: see old adj. 9a, 16b.

Compounds

C1. Compounds of the adjective.
a.
(a) Parasynthetic.Most of these compounds have parallel, typically earlier, equivalents with well: see well adv. and n.4 Compounds 5 and main entries, e.g. well-bodied adj., well-faced adj., well-shaped adj., etc.
good-bodied adj.
ΚΠ
1666 S. Pepys Diary 31 May (1972) VII. 138 My..sister (who is a pretty good-bodied woman and not over-thicke).
1897 Daily News 19 Mar. 9/5 Good bodied and light dry scoureds maintain previous series' prices.
2011 K. Gordon & A. E. McBride Les Petits Macarons 35 It is important to obtain the glossy, smooth, good-bodied meringue with a firm peak that forms the infrastructure of the macaron.
good-bottomed adj. now rare
ΚΠ
1778 Daily Advertiser 28 May The Owner will vouch her to be a good-bottomed one.
1816 Sporting Mag. 47 296 Nelson and Blucher, two good-bottomed dogs belonging to Thomas Bradshaw, Esq.
1958 L. V. Hamner Light 'n Hitch xxv. 183 Some long-winded, good-bottomed horses, valuable on trail work.
good-conditioned adj.
ΚΠ
1566 W. Painter Palace of Pleasure I. xlvi. f. 258v The liuely ymage of a good condicioned Prince.
1836 J. M. Gully tr. F. Magendie Formulary (ed. 2) 130 Good conditioned pus..appears..to be not more irritating than mucus.
2011 Border Mail (Austral.) (Nexis) 24 Dec. 56 [The streams] seem to be pretty well stocked with good-conditioned trout.
good-constitutioned adj.
ΚΠ
1823 Sporting Mag. Aug. 243/2 He gets such good constitutioned horses.
1912 E. E. Cuthell Imperial Victim I. x. 169 The Emperor was satisfied with her..a good-constitutioned young woman, kind, simple, well brought up, was all he wanted.
2002 Australian (Nexis) 2 Aug. 24 They bred very good Clydesdales... The country has the heart in it to breed good constitutioned animals.
good-faced adj.
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1575 G. Harvey Let.-bk. (1884) 93 At what..markett your goodfaced goodliness bowte upp.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) iv. iii. 114 Shall I bring thee on the way?.. No, good fac'd sir, no sweet sir.
1861 Jrnl. Hort., Cottage Gardener, & Country Gentleman 2 July 261/1 Build the walls of good-faced bricks.
2011 S. King 11/22/63 xxxi. 812 This woman was good-faced.
good-flavoured adj.
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1740 P. Miller Gardeners Dict. (new ed.) at Ananas It is esteemed a very good-flavoured Fruit by those Persons who have tasted it.
1829 Daily National Intelligencer (Washington) 1 July 500 lbs. good flavored cheese.
1998 Your Garden Oct. 18/2 (advt.) Heavy crops of sweet, good-flavoured apples.
good-limbed adj.
ΚΠ
1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 iii. ii. 101 Agood limbde, felow, yong, strong, and of good friends. View more context for this quotation
1863 Farmer's Mag. Aug. 157/1 He is short and leggy, but good-limbed.
2008 Racing Post (Nexis) 23 May 9 He's a tough, good-limbed horse, and learned plenty from his first run, but I've no specific plans for him.
good-omened adj.
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1714 ‘J. Bickerstaffe’ Let. Death of Queen Anne 9 Hasten, dread Sir, to raise a sinking isle, And glad her sons with a good-omen'd smile.
1844 I. Williams Baptistery II. iv. 142 Like hovering near of some good-omen'd bird Thy soothing voice is heard.
2011 V. D. Hanson End of Sparta i. iii. 30 Do you hear me, the left—the good-omened Left Hand, the divine Left of Pythagoras, where our strong hits their strong.
good-shaped adj.
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?1633 Complaint & Lament. Mistresse Arden (single sheet) I came in Mosbies company, Whose sugred tongue, good shapt, and louely looke, So one won my heart, and Ardens leue forsooke.
1850 Florist & Garden Misc. 1849 2 195 Satisfaction, a very good-shaped middle-coloured flower [sc. Pelargonium].
2007 S. Griffiths Pewter Plus 86/1 A good-shaped bottle of clear glass.
good-spirited adj.
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1652 A. Evans Voice from Heaven 59 An able, faithfull, wise, undefiled, good spirited, perfect man.
1754 S. Foote Knights i. 16 Cou'd you recommend me a good-spirited Girl, who has Humour and Compliance to follow a few Directions.
2012 Tribune-Democrat (Johnstown, Pa.) 27 Feb. b1/4 Good-spirited trash talking was prevalent, but everyone had a good time for a good cause.
(b) Complementary. See also good-looking adj.Corresponding formations with well are earlier and more common prior to the later 19th cent. Subsequently, formations with good have been much more common.
good-seeming adj.
ΚΠ
1603 S. Harsnett Declar. Popish Impostures xii. 58 Then was all hast made to get him downe againe, which somtime was done with good seeming toile, difficultie, & sweat.
1645 S. Rutherford Tryal & Triumph of Faith xiii. 99 There is a way good-seeming that deceiveth us; but black Death is the night lodging of it.
1875 Ann. Rep. Iowa State Hort. Soc. 1874 77 A good seeming reason for the same.
1999 Philos. & Phenomenol. Res. 59 506 Individually good-seeming things.
good-smelling adj.
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1495 Trevisa's Bartholomeus De Proprietatibus Rerum (de Worde) xvii. clxxiii. sig. Viiij/2 Of Thus set a fyr[e] comyth a good smellynge smoke.
a1672 Earl of Sandwich tr. A. A. Barba Art of Metals (1674) i. ii. 5 In some Mines good smelling Earth hath been met withal, although most commonly that kind of Earth is of an ill scent.
1892 A. M. Earle China Collecting in Amer. xviii. 378 What a burnt and bitter, but wholly good-smelling steam arises from that old flip-mug.
2001 J. Saul Manhattan Hunt Club xxiv. 167 The thin soup was rapidly turning into a pretty good-smelling stew.
good-sounding adj.
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1572 tr. S. Münster Briefe Coll. & Compend. Extract Cosmogr. f. 71 v They haue a glorye to hang good sounding bels about their horse necks.
1840 Odd Fellows' Mag. Apr. 92 ‘How will Gustavus do, or Ferdinand,’ said Mr. Clement, who was very fond of a good-sounding name.
1995 Kindred Spirit Autumn 54/3 Straight, simple, good-sounding music played on electric bass, guitars, saxophone, keyboard, drums and percussion.
good-tasting adj.
ΚΠ
1737 W. Byrd in K. Hess M. Randolph's Virginia House-wife (1984) p. xxii Several varieties of cucumbers, which are very sweet and good-tasting.
1903 J. M. Falkner Nebuly Coat i. 3 The low-lying meadows..where as good-tasting mutton is bred as on any pré-salé on the other side of the Channel.
1999 S. Owen Indonesian Regional Food & Cookery (rev. ed.) 62 In Palembang, people always use ikan belida for this dish.., a good-tasting fish but with lots of bones.
(c) In noun phrases used attributively.
good-character adj.
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1836 Rep. Commissioners Syst. Mil. Punishments Army 118 in Parl. Papers XXII. 1 I am well aware that a man who has been punished is not a good-character man, or he would not come to that.
1890 W. G. Barttelot Life Major Barttelot vii. 145 Stanley..had..taken all the..good-character men and left..the incorrigible at Yambuya.
1947 Billboard 10 May 91/2 (advt.) Musicians for hotel band—Only single, good character men eligible.
2011 Sun Jrnl. (New Bern, N. Carolina) (Nexis) 22 Dec. They mature from young boys into good, well-mannered, high-moral, good-character men.
good-conduct adj. chiefly Military
ΚΠ
1837 United Service Jrnl. Nov. 416 He has the option of receiving either the usual pension allotted to his rank, upon retirement, or the Good Conduct pay.
1890 J. Byrne in 19th Cent. Nov. 836 All good-conduct soldiers now have leave till midnight when off duty.
1911 Sea Breeze Oct. 7/2 To strive to win the white good-conduct star on their sleeve.
2001 Navy News Sept. 12/3 Castor was awarded his second Good Conduct badge at a requestmen table held on the flight deck.
good-quality adj.
ΚΠ
1879 Rep. Select Standing Comm. Immigration & Colonization in Jrnls. House of Commons Canada 13 App. 133 Good quality beef commands a good price, either in the fall or at any other time.
1897 Sears, Roebuck Catal. No. 104. 289/1 A Good Quality White Marseilles Bed Spread.
1936 Discovery Dec. 375/1 A good quality silk.
1962 P. Strevens Papers in Lang. (1965) xii. 146 Equipment now exists for making good-quality recordings.
2008 BBC Good Food Sept. 109/2 If you buy good-quality aged British beef that has been farm-assured, it will make all the difference.
good-service adj.
ΚΠ
1844 Caledonian Mercury 24 June (heading) Good service reward.
1876 G. E. Voyle Mil. Dict. (ed. 3) Good-service pension.
1989 Miller's Collectables Price Guide 1989–90 291/3–4 A Good Service Medal presented by the Liverpool City Police..c1931.
good-value adj.
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1889 Eau Claire (Wisconsin) Daily Leader 11 Nov. (advt.) Ladies' ribbed underwear of mixed material at one dollar a suit is a good value purchase.
1991 O. Clarke Webster's Wine Guide 1992 199/2 Another good-value Vintage port lookalike is Crusted port.
2006 Independent 30 Mar. 43/4 This four-storey boutique..is full of good-value separates.
(d) With present participles.In the occasional early uses good is probably adverbial (e.g. quots. 1686 for good-going adj., 1493, 1628 for good-living adj., 1549, 1682 for good-meaning adj., and 1668 for good-selling adj.). In modern uses good is adjectival in origin, deriving either from phrases in which good premodifies a noun (e.g. ‘the suit is a good fit’ gives ‘good-fitting suit’, ‘the variety provides good eating’ gives ‘good-eating variety’) or from clauses in which good is the complement of a verbal noun subject (e.g. ‘the handling is good’ gives ‘good-handling’), influenced either by parallel formations with well (see well adv. and n.4 Compounds 2) or by complementary formations (see Compounds 1a(b)).
good-eating adj. that is good to eat; good-tasting.
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1991 Mid-Atlantic Game & Fish Apr. 44 Jetty and rock fishing are famous for producing plentiful catches of blackfish, a good-eating species also known as slippery bass or tautog.
2012 Courier-Mail (Brisbane) (Nexis) 15 Sept. (Queensland Life section) 27 It all starts with choosing a really good-eating variety of fruit.
good-fitting adj. = well-fitting adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > order > agreement, harmony, or congruity > suitability or appropriateness > [adjective] > perfectly suited or fitted
well-sittinga1300
well-fitting1578
glove-fitting1868
fairly-fitted1870
made-to-measure1885
tailor-made1896
good-fitting1903
1903 N.Y. Times 26 Sept. 4 (advt.) All-weather coats they are—just as primp, good-fitting and handsome as a man could wish to wear.
1934 M. T. King Mothercraft xiv. 239 Boil thoroughly for 5 minutes in a saucepan with a good fitting lid.
2012 Sunday Mail (Queensland) (Nexis) 11 Mar. (TV Guide) 16 A good-fitting suit will help a guy in any situation.
good-going adj. (of a machine, instrument, etc.) that is working well; cf. earlier well-going adj.
ΚΠ
1686 W. Molyneux Sciothericum Telescopicum x. 43 So much ought a good-going Pendulum-watch to differ sometimes from the Sun.
1846 Artizan Apr. 78/1 It should be a good-going furnace.
1992 J. Torrington Swing Hammer Swing! v. 31 With a face as red and as hearty as a good-going stove.
good-handling adj. (of a vehicle) that is easy to drive or control; that handles well.
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1961 Mason City (Iowa) Globe-Gaz. 21 Aug. 11/1 The talented driver with the good handling car (a 1961 Pontiac) hogged top honors.
1991 What Car? Apr. 53/2 (advt.) We remain convinced that everyone on the continent..ought to have one of these zippy, good-handling swift-looking funsters.
2011 Gazette (Montreal) (Nexis) 24 Aug. b15 Slicing off the roof of a good-handling car tends to have that effect, often turning something sporty into a mushy boulevard cruiser.
good-hitting adj. Baseball (of a player) that is a good hitter; (of a team) that hits well.
ΚΠ
1941 Idaho Evening Times (Twin Falls) 26 Apr. 5/4 A slugging outfielder, a good hitting first baseman and at least two experienced pitchers.
1993 J. A. Mercurio Babe Ruth's Incredible Rec. xv. 108 Joe Cronin was a good-hitting shortstop with a lifetime batting average of .302.
2006 Chicago Daily Herald (Nexis) 30 Apr. (Sports section) 14 A good-hitting baseball team doesn't earn that reputation solely by lacing doubles to gaps and stroking home runs.
good-living adj. that lives a virtuous life; behaving in a good or righteous manner; cf. good liver n. 1.
ΚΠ
1493 Chastysing Goddes Chyldern (de Worde) ix. sig. Bivv/1 In thys voydaunce & ydlenesse, a gode liuynge [a1450 Bodl. 505 goode louyng] soule may haue noo rest.
1628 Heavens Glory 56 That's a God-louing, and good-liuing man.
1909 Westm. Gaz. 1 Mar. 1/3 A most respectable and good-living man.
2005 R. Douglas Night Song Last Tram 89 The Mulhollands were a good-living, Catholic family and regular worshippers at the large chapel on Hopehill Road.
good-meaning adj. = well-meaning adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > kindness > [adjective]
mildeOE
blitheOE
goodOE
well-willingOE
beina1200
goodfulc1275
blithefula1300
faira1300
benignc1320
gainc1330
sweetc1330
kinda1333
propicec1350
well-willeda1382
well-disposeda1393
well-hearteda1393
well-willinga1393
friendsomea1400
well-willya1400
charitablec1405
well-willed1417
good-heartedc1425
kindlyc1425
honeyed1435
propitious1440
affectuousc1441
willya1449
homelyc1450
benevolous1470
benigned1470
benevolent1482
favourousc1485
well-meaned1488
well-meaning1498
humanec1500
favourablec1503
affectionatea1516
well-mindedc1522
beneficial1526
propiciant1531
benignate1533
well-intendeda1535
beneficious1535
kind-hearted1535
well-given1535
affectioned1539
well-wishing1548
figgy?1549
good-meaning1549
affectedc1553
affectionated1561
well-natured1561
well-affected?1563
officious1565
well-inclined1569
good-natured1582
partial1587
graceful?1593
well-intentioned1598
beneficent1616
candid1633
kindlike1637
benefic1641
kindly-hearted1762
well-meant1765
benignanta1782
sweet-hearted1850
1549 M. Coverdale et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. II. 1 Pet. iii. f. ixv He that loseth a good meanyng hearte, he is hurted in dede.
1682 J. Bunyan Holy War 286 Many a good meaning man is dead, and the Diabolonians of late grow stronger and stronger.
1812 Monthly Rev. Aug. 433 Pious intention is laudable, but every good-meaning-soul is not a poet.
1999 J. Vadackumchery Indian Police 2001 vii. 96 Even good meaning people started to consider police as their enemies.
good-paying adj. that pays well.
ΚΠ
1834 Tait's Edinb. Mag. New Ser. 1 840/1 Sandy, this has surely been a good paying job; for, when you were in the Calton, your little ones could not come out for dirt and rags.
1898 Daily News 25 May 5/1 She thought she was borrowing 50l. to enable her to execute a number of good-paying orders.
2000 A. Bourdain Kitchen Confid. (2001) 176 Poor Steven and I were firing people whom, only a few weeks earlier, we had lured away from good-paying jobs.
good-selling adj. that sells well; cf. earlier well-selling adj.
ΚΠ
1668 F. Kirkman Eng. Rogue II. xxiii. 203 Having good hap to print some very good selling books, they helped away the other that were not so good.
1908 Daily Chron. 10 Jan. 3/3 Ordinarily ‘Edwin Drood’ is one of the least ‘good-selling’ novels of Charles Dickens.
2008 A. Gribben Harry Hunt Ransom ix. 118 Rota could only imagine that envy and the desire to write a good-selling book led Hamilton to include these unfounded claims.
† good-speeching adj. Obsolete rare that makes good speeches.
ΚΠ
1845 T. Carlyle in O. Cromwell Lett. & Speeches II. 276 The good-speeching individual.
good-thinking adj. = right-thinking adj.; cf. earlier well-thinking adj.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > rightness or justice > [adjective] > right-thinking or just
well-thinkinga1450
justice-like1600
right-thinking1680
good-thinking1917
1917 Indiana (Pa.) Gaz. 1 May 1/1 We want the help and moral support of every good thinking American.
2009 Hobart Mercury (Nexis) 3 July 9 My heart goes out to the family in their terrible grief and I know that all good-thinking people here feel the same.
b. In fixed terms denoting particular familial relationships.
(a) Designating a grandparent. See good-dame n., goodsire n.
(b) Originally and chiefly Scottish. Designating a person who is a relation by marriage.Chiefly in good-daughter, -father, -mother, -sister, -son: see main entries.
ΚΠ
1436 in H. Maule Reg. de Panmure (1874) II. 199 To have quyt clemyt..my gudesone of ane obligacioun of sex hundreth markkis.
1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) xix. l. 243 Iames steward, that ledar was Eftir his gud brother disses.
1863 R. Quinn Heather Lintie (ed. 2) 39 Gude billie, I maun na wise ca' ye, Lest doon amang the clarts I draw ye.
1900 Eng. Dial. Dict. at Good [Suffolk] Good-aunt, an aunt by marriage... Good-cousin, a cousin by marriage... Good-uncle, an uncle by marriage.
1980 A. Blair Rowan on Ridge 88 Ann set out to fill her place as his wife and, to the pleasure and surprise of her gude-parents, from the first held a firmer rein on her wayward husband than he had ever heeded.
c. In uses with past participles good is adverbial; cf. sense C. 1a and well adv. and n.4 Compounds 1.
good-bad adj. designating something which is simultaneously good and bad, esp. that is generally bad or inferior, but has redeeming characteristics, or is a particularly good example of an inferior thing; (also) relating to both good and bad.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > [adjective] > of inferior quality
good-bad1852
dodgy1961
1852 tr. R. de Maistre in Dublin Rev. Dec. 390 There is nothing so dangerous as good bad books, that is to say, bad books written by excellent men deceived.
1899 Chambers's Jrnl. 23 Sept. 674/1 Smugglers in the good-bad old times pursued what they euphemistically called the ‘fair trade’.
1933 A. Thirkell High Rising ii. 41 ‘Good bad books?’ ‘Yes. Not very good books,..but good of a second-rate kind.’
1949 M. Mead Male & Female xvii. 346 A frequent theme of modern movies is the ‘good-bad’ girl.
2003 R. Feasey in M. Jancovich et al. Defining Cult Movies xi. 173 They do not reject or invert standards of good and bad taste, but rather distinguish between the ‘good bad’ movie and the bad movie which is simply bad.
good-behaved adj. now regional = well-behaved adj. 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > [adjective]
well-governed?a1425
well-behaved1577
well-demeaned1586
well-moderated1603
morate1652
well-conducted1772
good-behaved1822
1822 S. Moodie Little Downy 36 Downy..was often much grieved at the disobedient behaviour of the little mice. Velvet was the only good-behaved one, and she was bad enough in all reason.
1867 Local Preachers' Mag. 17 44 I think Mrs. Whitehead is a very good-behaved woman.
1942 M. Campbell Cloud-walking (1971) 27 She..was just naturally good-behaved.
1979 Advocate News (Barbados) 16 Nov. 1 She spoke of the accused being a good-behaved person.
2010 Stanthorpe (Queensland) Border Post (Nexis) 1 July 8 We're getting Santa in and having gifts for guests—well, only the good behaved guests.
good book n. (with the and frequently with capital initials) the Bible.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > aspects of faith > Bible, Scripture > [noun]
Holy Writc900
writeOE
God's bookOE
writOE
bookOE
Biblea1300
holy lettrurec1330
scripturec1330
the (sacred or holy) writings1340
gospel1393
worda1425
escripture1489
Holy Write1508
theologya1513
the written word1533
Book of God1548
oracle1548
hand biblea1680
good book1740
sacred book1782
the sacred volume1850
bibliotheca1879
Kitab1885
1740 Extract Rev. John Wesley's Jrnl. Georgia 24 I told him, ‘If Red Men will learn the Good Book, they may know as much as White Men.’
1779 B. Franklin Polit., Misc. & Philos. Pieces 58 Has he not read the precept in the good book, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn.
1819 Panoplist Jan. (Missionary Herald section) 19 This was found in the good book, and the Good Spirit would have all men made acquainted with it.
1896 J. Skelton Summers & Winters at Balmawhapple I. 160 In spite of the Gude Book and a bit sang at times the house feels lonely.
1941 Motor Boating May 99/1 Most nights before blowing out the lights, he reads a chapter from the Good Book.
1986 F. McGuinness Observe Sons of Ulster ii, in Plays: 1 (1996) 130 Do you often read the good book?
2006 Private Eye 7 July 18/2 What does it say in the Good Book—‘I am with you always.’
good-boy adj. (a) designating a children's story in which the main character is a boy who behaves virtuously (now historical); (b) gen. of, relating to, or characteristic of boys who are well-behaved and well-mannered.
ΚΠ
1804 J. Baillie Country Inn v. ii in Misc. Plays 278 Well, well, I understand you; but tell me no more of your good-boy stories at present: this cross-fated day has taught me a powerful lesson which makes every other superfluous.
1823 W. Scott Let. 16 Jan. (1934) VII. 312 Better adapted to..soften the heart of childhood than the good-boy stories which have been in later years composed for them.
1866 Church & State Rev. 11 May 298/2 It is no dull good-boy book, to be taken teetotalwise.
1971 W. B. Miller in M. Pilisuk & P. Pilisuk Poor Amer. 100 Members of the ‘good boy’ clique.
1980 E. L. Doctorow in Nation 19–26 July 83/2 The same kind of Midwestern good-boy appeal that was later to attract the attention of some conservative Californians.
2001 G. Hendler Public Sentiments 264 They are, like the later boys [sc. Tom Sawyer and others], openly scornful of good-boy books.
2004 Rock & Ice Jan. 56/2 Good-boy haircut or not, Kehl must be losing his frickin mind.
good buddy n. slang (originally U.S.) a form of address used (originally) between male friends or (now usually) fellow users of Citizens' Band radio.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > broadcasting > radio broadcasting > [noun] > user of radio system
good buddy1956
society > communication > telecommunication > radio communications > [noun] > radio codes and call-signs
call signal1853
call letter1876
call sign1896
ten signal1951
good buddy1956
Zulu1960
ten-code1969
twenty1975
1956 N. Algren Walk on Wild Side ii. 170 Why, then lead me, goodbuddy.
1966 R. Stone Hall of Mirrors 105 Waal, goodbuddy,..WUSA is a well planned out business operation.
1974 Sandusky (Ohio) Reg. 16 Jan. 4/3 Have a truckin' good time, good buddy.
1990 J. Byrne Your Cheatin' Heart v. 133/2 Don't want to alarm you, good buddy, but we're comin' up to a line of berrs at a road block.
2010 C. Miller Forgotten Brother iv. 43 ‘That's big 10-4 good buddy,’ exclaimed Colby as he advanced the throttles to full and released the brakes.
good cause n. a charity.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > social attitudes > philanthropy > [noun] > charitableness or alms-giving > a charity
charity1687
good cause1848
1848 Zion's Herald & Wesleyan Jrnl. 9 Aug. 1/5 There is such a thing as giving to a good cause, yet opposing its prosperity by discountenancing its operations and object.
1886 J. Wild Talks for Times xvii. 312 They ought to be very willing to give money to good causes.
1959 J. Fleming Miss Bones viii. 95 She was in touch with dozens of good causes, eventide homes, hostels for distressed gentlewomen.
2005 Financial Times 11 Feb. 11 John Lewis may defend the release of its atrocious album by saying it will raise money for a good cause.
good cholesterol n. cholesterol present in the blood in the form of high-density lipoprotein, higher levels of which have been found to be correlated with reduced risk of coronary artery disease and heart attack.
ΚΠ
1977 Baytown (Texas) Sun 25 Aug. 3 b/1 Scientists report that there is good cholesterol and bad cholesterol... The bad kind is the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol that can affect your arteries.
1993 Men's Health Nov. 52/1 A program of weight lifting and aerobic exercise lowered blood pressure as effectively as antihypertensive medicine. It also reduced LDL (bad) cholesterol and raised HDL (good) cholesterol.
2011 Daily Tel. 19 July 1/2 Levels of good cholesterol rose by 67 per cent.
good-class adj. of a good standard or quality; (also) connected with a respectable social class; cf. high-class adj. at high adj. and n.2 Compounds 2a.
ΚΠ
1852 2nd Rep. Commissioners Exhib. 1851 62 in Parl. Papers 1852–3 LIV. 407 It is rare to find men who go out with good-class certificates waiting any considerable time for employment.
1901 Daily Chron. 2 Sept. 8/2 Good-class rudd have also been secured in this river.
1909 Westm. Gaz. 13 Jan. 12/2 A club..which has a number of good-class players.
1925 E. F. Norton in E. F. Norton et al. Fight for Everest: 1924 i. ii. 39 He must be a good-class man of some intelligence.
1939 A. Christie Murder is Easy xiv. 154 You'll have heard of the Seven Stars, sir? Not a good-class house, and the landlord, Harry Carter, a low-class fellow.
1960 Farmer & Stockbreeder 29 Mar. 81/1 (caption) A typical good-class female of the breed.
2012 Racing Post (Nexis) 10 Apr. 9 This event has been won by many good class chasers.
good-conceited adj. rare after 17th cent. = well-conceited adj. 2.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > perception or cognition > faculty of imagination > inventive or creative faculty > [adjective] > characterized by invention
conceited1542
deviceful1590
minted1598
well-conceited1598
inventive1601
good-conceiteda1616
made-up1773
a1616 W. Shakespeare Cymbeline (1623) ii. iii. 16 Come on, tune..First, a very excellent good conceyted thing; after a wonderful sweet aire. View more context for this quotation
1668 D. Lloyd Memoires 126 Thuanus (a good conceited Poet, and strangely conceited man).
1952 Times 26 Apr. 7/4 A lyric then had to be a very excellent, good-conceited thing and she was up to all the tricks of that exquisitely mannered game.
good disposed adj. now rare = well-disposed adj. 1.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > favour > [adjective] > favourably disposed
favourable1340
pleasantc1350
propense?1534
good disposed1553
well-affectioned1561
well-affected?1563
well-conceited1592
propensive1599
conceited1612
well-set1632
well-disposed1660
1553 R. Burrant tr. Erasmus in Preceptes Cato (new ed.) sig. P.iiv A good disposed minde, dooeth neuer himself geue, To their seruice that in sinne doth liue.
1598 R. Charnock in T. G. Law Archpriest Controv. (1896) I. 66 Good disposed catholickes.
1860 Children's Mag. 13 97 Julian was a good disposed lad, and was ashamed of his occupation; but the fear of starving, and his desire to find his father, made him continue in it a little longer.
1905 T. D. West Competent Life ii. xxiii. 218 In visiting museums of anatomy the minor in company with good disposed instructors will be brought to such realization of the awful suffering and disgrace of youthful abuses of passions.
† good face n. Obsolete a person who has an open and honest face; in quot. as a form of address.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > beauty > pleasing appearance > [noun] > person
seemlyc1325
hendya1350
good face1591
the world > life > the body > external parts of body > head > face > types of face > [noun] > person having
good face1591
chitty-face1601
dogfacea1627
Lenten chapsa1640
pretty face1675
baby face1726
slape-face1847
pinch-face1911
pizza face1964
zit-face1974
1591 Troublesome Raigne Iohn i. sig. E4v Grey gownd good face, coniure ye, ner trust me for a groate.
good fairy n. (in folklore) a benevolent, typically female, fairy who intervenes in human life in order to help goodness prevail and good people succeed; spec. = fairy godmother n. 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > easiness > aid, help, or assistance > support > patronage > [noun] > patron
avowe1297
avowrya1387
setter-forth1451
fautora1464
patron1466
presidenta1522
benefactor1532
patronizer1596
favourer1625
patroona1641
good fairy1716
fairy godfather1847
avoué1851
tall relative1976
the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > kindness > [noun] > person > female
benefactrix1615
benefactrice1710
benefactress1711
good fairy1716
fairy godmother1857
aunt1861
1716 tr. M.-C. D'Aulnoy Hist. Tales of Fairies vi. 154 In the midst of this Extremity some good Fairy put it into the Mind of the Princess, to make use of her Wand once more.
1855 E. C. Gaskell Let. ?5 June (1966) 866 What will our heroine do in such a dilemma? When lo and behold the good fairy steps in.
1876 L. Troubridge Jrnl. 6 May in Life amongst Troubridges (1966) xi. 143 If only some good fairy would present us with a ten pound note each.
1920 J. Galsworthy In Chancery ii. ii. 140 Forgiving and forgetting, and becoming the good fairy of her future.
1966 Guardian 16 Dec. 4/7 The familiar figure of Mrs Anne Kerr, Labour MP..dressed all in white like the Good Fairy.
1997 Independent 2 Apr. 16/1 Lesley Cunliffe, who was born with every virtue and talent a good fairy could bestow, has died, aged 51, with her potential apparently unfulfilled.
good folk n. originally and chiefly Scottish (with the or occasionally in plural) fairies or elves collectively; also occasionally witches collectively; cf. fair folk n. at fair adj. and n.1 Compounds 1b, good people.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > fairy or elf > [noun] > collectively
fairya1375
good neighboura1585
faerie1612
good peoplea1692
small people1696
little people1719
Sidhe1724
gentrya1731
little mena1731
small folk1785
little folk1791
gentlefolk1795
the wee folk1819
good folk1820
Pharisee1823
gentle-people1832
fairyhood1844
folk of peace1875
1820 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Mar. 673/2 The fairies, the ‘good folk’ of our grandmothers..have been expelled.
1892 J. Jacobs Celtic Fairy Tales xxv. 224 She did not much like going and leaving her little ones all alone in a solitary house, especially as she had heard tell of the good folk haunting the neighbourhood.
1931 Scots Mag. Aug. 340 The ‘gude fiks’, or good folks..resemble the fairies of the south in appearance and the powers attributed to them.
2005 W. Behringer in G. Klaniczay & E. Pócs Communicating with Spirits ii. 175 The good folk, who produced heavenly music, danced in blessed houses, cooked entire cows or oxen, which they restored to life from their skins and bones the next morning.
good-for n. [ < to be good for (see sense A. 23b)] South African (now historical and rare) a promissory note; an IOU.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > ability > able, capable, or competent [phrase] > for something
up to ——1785
good-for1821
good1893
the world > time > duration > [adjective] > long-lasting or enduring > safe to last a specific time
good-for1821
good1893
society > trade and finance > management of money > solvency > [adjective] > creditworthy > for so much
good1819
good-for1821
1821 G. Barker Jrnl. 28 Nov. in Dict. S. Afr. Eng. on Hist. Princ. (1996) 260/3 Spent the whole morning collecting money, got all the good fors cashed.
1882 H. R. Haggard Cetywayo 133 As there was no cash in the country this was done by issuing Government promissory notes, known as ‘goodfors’.
1903 D. Blackburn Burgher Quixote 152 Those that have no money to pay have given ‘good-fors’.
1989 Reader's Digest Illustr. Hist. S. Afr. 149 In 1865, in a new bid to bail the republic out of its financial difficulties, the government decided to print paper money... But the currency was so worthless that it was rejected even by state officials, who..chose rather to pay with credit notes called ‘good-fors’.
good-for-little adj. now rare that is of little use, virtually useless; cf. good-for-nothing adj.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > importance > unimportance > [adjective] > of little importance or trivial > types of > other
minor1612
good-for-little1724
micrological1847
1724 D. Defoe Tour Great Brit. I. ii. 49 The Town..has it self an ill repair'd, dangerous, and good for little Harbour and Peir.
1748 S. Richardson Clarissa IV. xxxvi. 206 The trisyllables, and the rumblers of syllables more than three, are but the good for little magnates.
1896 Academy 18 July 47/2 Jim Conrad..is but an idle and good-for-little hero after all.
1919 J. Masefield Reynard the Fox (1920) 91 Mike, their good-for-little son.
good-for-something adj. and n. (a) adj. that is of some use (also ironic) (rare); (b) n. a person who is of some use, esp. one who is capable of productive labour; cf. good-for-nothing n. and adj.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > advantage > usefulness > [noun] > useful person
card?1562
availer1598
utensil1678
good-for-something1740
1740 Irregular Diss. Du Halde's Descr. China 26 Surely such good-for-something Drudges have not the Impudence to call themselves Gentleman Soldiers.
1860 C. H. Bennett & R. B. Brough Shadow & Substance 77 The good-for-somethings do not form a very overwhelming majority in any community at home or abroad.
1884 H. Spencer in Contemp. Rev. Apr. 461 Good-for-nothings who in some way or other live on the good-for-somethings.
1942 Eng. Jrnl. 31 237 The printed word..is only a tool to help us toward that far-off, furthering goal of a good-for-something life.
1956 Clovis (New Mexico) News-Jrnl. 23 Oct. 26/4 Are the ‘good for nothings’ for ever to be paid for by the ‘good for somethings’ as Herbert Spencer pretold?
1997 E. Nussmann Take a Break 93 We gather in God's Presence because we have experienced God's power which can transform us from Good-for-nothings, into Good-for-somethings!
good graces n. [after French bonnes grâces (17th cent. or earlier)] favour, high regard; esp. in to be in a person's good graces: = in a person's good books at book n. Phrases 2c(b).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > favour > [noun]
well-likinglOE
gracec1300
favoura1340
grace and favour1542
rooma1591
propitiation1639
good graces1670
beaux yeux1828
1670 C. Cotton tr. G. Girard Hist. Life Duke of Espernon iii. x. 498 He would not however in return offer him his good Graces. [Sidenote] Not otherwise to be rendred without spoiling the sense.
1711 R. Steele Spectator No. 76. ⁋4 The Men themselves shall think thus meanly or greatly of themselves, as they are out or in the good Graces of a Court.
1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. III. xii. 221 The one who had the largest share of James's good graces seems to have been Cartwright.
1894 Cycl. Rev. Current Hist. (U.S.) 4 472 Working his way by scheming and bootlicking into the good graces of..a young idiot of a lord.
1921 Amer. Legion Weekly 26 Aug. 13/3 The wiley politician who desires to remain in the good graces of his constituency.
2008 L. McDaniel Prey 143 This seemed like a good way to stay in her good graces.
good guy n. colloquial (originally U.S.) (usually with the, frequently in plural) a good or virtuous person; esp. one who is on the side of good against evil in a story, film, etc., and whom the reader or audience is intended to support or identify with; (in extended use) a person who is on one's side; frequently opposed to bad guy n. at bad adj., n.2, and adv. Compounds 2; cf. goody n.4 2.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > virtue > [noun] > virtuous or morally excellent person
angel1477
moralist1606
virtuosa1652
saint1852
seraph1853
plaster saint1890
good guy1928
society > leisure > the arts > performance arts > drama > part or character > [noun] > types of part or character
underpart1679
persona muta1714
travesty1732
soubrette1753
old man1762
small part?1774
breeches-part1779
character part1811
fat1812
chambermaida1828
fool?1835
raisonneur1845
ingénue1848
villain of the piece1854
stock character1864
feeder1866
satirette1870
character role1871
travesty1887
thinking part1890
walk-on1902
cardboard cutout1906
bit1926
good guy1928
feed1929
bad guy1932
goody1934
walkthrough1935
narrator1941
cameo1950
black hat1959
1928 Boys' Life Sept. 13 I think he's a perfect example of a good guy gone wrong!
1932 Syracuse (N.Y.) Herald 16 Jan. 12/1 There's the routine story about the bad guys and the good guys and the horse that jumps Devil's Gulch and all the rest of it.
1969 Guardian 5 Nov. 8/3 It is very hard morally to distinguish between the good guys and the bad guys..for any but the most committed cold warrior.
1988 R. Turnbull Fisher's World: Canada 4 In the eyes of the world Canadians are everybody's good guys, great to call upon for United Nations peacekeeping missions, pals with most of the Third World, easy to jolly along in international councils.
2001 T. Parsons One for my Baby xxii. 203 It's not too late for you, Alfie. You can still be one of the good guys.
good hair n. U.S. (in African-American usage) hair which is straight or wavy, and typically long and smooth.
ΚΠ
1931 J. R. Fauset Chinaberry Tree x. 59 She..knew that colored men liked their wives to have straight hair, ‘good’ hair.
1964 K. Hanson Rebels in Streets iii. 45 Good hair has no kinkiness, although it may be wavy and even curly.
1972 M. Angelou in N.Y. Times 16 Apr. d15/3 It was common to hear in the slave quarters..such suicidal phrases as..‘She's light skinned but she doesn't have good hair.’
1996 Caribbean Stud. 29 288 Rodney explained that non-white post-colonial societies have adopted European values of beauty, in that ‘good hair’ means straight hair.
2010 N. T. Fernandez Revolutionizing Romance 22 My sister..has good hair and lighter skin. My skin is darker than my mother's and my sister's.
good iron int. and adj. originally and chiefly Australian (now historical) (a) int. expressing approbation; (b) adj. very good, excellent. [Apparently reflecting an interjection used on the scoring of a point in the game of iron quoits (compare ringer n.1 3).]
ΚΠ
1894 E. Turner Seven Little Australians xviii. 206 ‘Good iron,’ Bunby said. ‘Go on; it's better'n Jonah.’
1895 Bulletin (Sydney) 9 Feb. 15/4 Oh, she's good iron, is my little clinah; She's my cobber an' I'm 'er bloke.
1909 J. Masefield Trag. Nan ii, in Trag. Nan & Other Plays 41 Good iron! A old chanti-cleer. Balm in Gilead, as the saying is.
1936 M. Franklin All that Swagger xxxiv. 321 ‘Sure, it's come-aisy, go-aisy,’ Grandfather remarked. ‘And that is “good-iron wingey!” till there's a stoppage in the come-easy part,’ added William.
1936 M. Franklin All that Swagger xi. 100 Good iron! I don't rob little boys.
good lady n. (with possessive pronoun) one's wife or partner; cf. lady n. 7.Cf. earlier use of good to refer to a female patron: see sense A. 4b (e.g. quot. a1616).
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > married person > married woman > [noun] > wife
wifeeOE
womanc1275
peerc1330
spousessc1384
ladyc1390
good lady1502
girl?a1513
spousage1513
little lady1523
the weaker vessel1526
companion1535
wedlock1566
Mrs1572
dame1574
rib?1590
feme1595
fathom1602
feme covert1602
shrew1606
wife of one's bosom1611
kickie-wickiea1616
heifer1616
sposa1624
bosom-partner1633
goodwife1654
little woman1715
squaw1767
the Mrs1821
missus1823
maw1826
lady wife1840
tart1864
mistress1873
mama1916
ball and chain1921
trouble and strife1929
old boot1958
1502 Higden's Polycronycon (new ed.) vii. sig. ziiiv/2 He come home ayen in to Englonde and his goode lady his wyfe also.
1552 R. King Funerall Serm. sig. A.viv I am comen hether this daye..to preche at the buriall of this honoralbe Lady, my good Lady and Maistres.
1645 C. Darcy Let. 18 Apr. in S. D'Ewes Autobiogr. & Corr. (1845) II. 309 I pray you doe me the favour to present my service to Sir Richard Winn and his good lady, my cosen.
1726 W. R. Chetwood Voy. & Adventures Capt. R. Boyle 247 Don Manuel cast many a Sheep's Eye at my Wife, and his good Lady at me.
1860 O. W. Holmes Elsie Venner (1861) vii. 71 ‘How's your health, Colonel Sprowle’. ‘Very well, much obleeged to you. Hope you and your good lady are well’.
1923 Humorist 22 Dec. 548/3 Her hubby, nearly dropping, Carries his good lady's shopping.
2010 Daily Tel. 23 Aug. 17/5 Yesterday morning my good lady and I had picked plums, cherries, apples and damsons. What summer bounty!
good-length adj. Cricket (of a delivery) pitched on a good length; neither short nor full in length.
ΚΠ
1836 New Sporting Mag. Oct. 361 On both days the ground was so dead that all good length balls were no better than long hops.
1891 W. G. Grace Cricket viii. 231 I played forward to nearly every good-length ball.
1926 P. F. Warner Fight for Ashes 16 Bardsley..showed a distinct weakness in nibbling at good-length balls outside the off-stump.
1991 Independent 5 Jan. 48/6 Then he came tripping down the pitch, turned a good-length ball which pitched just on the off-side of middle, and drove it with breathtaking precision.
good-mannered adj. = well-mannered adj. 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > [adjective] > well-mannered
well-theweda1200
theweda1400
mannerablea1475
mannered1483
well-mannereda1513
mannerlya1529
well-fashioned1540
unrude1648
good-mannered1715
mannersome1876
couth1896
1715 P. Falle Against Rudeness upon Acct. Difference in Relig. 20 A Civil Good Mannered Treatment.
1906 Macmillan's Mag. July 695 The librarian, a functionary whom he desired good-looking, good-natured, good-mannered, and ready of speech.
1996 J. Morgan Debrett's New Guide Etiquette & Mod. Manners 201 Really good-mannered owners carry pooper-scoopers or plastic bags to remove any offending matter.
† good master n. Obsolete a person of higher social rank who acts as a patron or protector.
ΚΠ
c1435 R. Armburgh Let. in C. Carpenter Armburgh Papers (1998) 148 In suche wyse that thei myht felyn that ye wolden be good maister to me in this mater.
1502 in T. Stapleton Plumpton Corr. (1839) 164 Cousin, I..pray you to be good master to Nycholas Lee, my lyanse [printed lyaufe].
c1537 J. Mathewe Let. in T. Wright Three Chapters Lett. Suppression Monasteries (1843) 126 Desiryng and hartely prayng your masterthep [sic] to be good maister to me and help me to my pore levynge and pencion.
† good mastership n. Obsolete patronage or protection from a person of higher social rank; cf. goodlordship n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > easiness > aid, help, or assistance > support > patronage > [noun]
avowry1330
lordshipc1405
goodlordship1418
good mastership1428
good masterhood1445
patrocinyc1475
patronage1553
patrocine1590
Maecenatism1606
auspice1611
clientele1611
patrocination1640
favour1692
Maecenasship1816
shefstvo1937
1428 in R. W. Chambers & M. Daunt Bk. London Eng. (1931) 180 (MED) Þe said John wold..haffe any oþer fraunchez amoung þe company but gud maisterschipe, Frendschipe, and loue.
1463 in S. Tymms Wills & Inventories Bury St. Edmunds (1850) 37 I..beqwethe to Willam Clopton..my best gypcer..for a tookne he vowchesaf..to shewe his good maistershepe to my wil that it be executyd.
c1475 (c1445) R. Pecock Donet (1921) 194 (MED) Þis bidder..ouȝte not..forsake his seruaunt and wiþdrawe al his good maistirschipe.
good-minded adj. having a benevolent disposition or good intentions; right-minded; cf. well-minded adj. 1.
ΚΠ
1582 J. Yates Castell of Courtesie f. 64 Then come drawe ny, good minded wille, and marke this mournfull verse.
1620 F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Phylaster ii. 26 Alas good minded Prince, you know not these things.
1681 J. Dryden Spanish Fryar v. ii. 79 Damme, quoth he. And still continued Labouring me, till a good minded Colonel came by.
1870 R. W. Emerson Society & Solitude v. 95 Every good-minded reformer.
1996 B. Maracle Back on Rez ii. xiv. 78 The Right-Handed Twin, a good-minded being, and his mischievous brother, the Left-Handed Twin, were battling for control of the earth.
good old boy n. (also good ol' boy, good ole boy) originally and chiefly U.S. a white male of the rural southern United States regarded as exemplifying traditional southern values; an uncomplicated, easy-going man; a ‘man's man’; cf. old adj. 16b.
ΚΠ
1882 Galveston (Texas) Daily News 3 May Owing to dispatches received late this evening, I will be deprived of the pleasure of meeting with you and the good old boys of our regiment.
1914 Review-Republican (Williamsport, Indiana) 17 Dec. 1/4 There is some good old boys in Texas, all friends of mine, And I am sorry I can't give them a line.
1948 N. Mailer Naked & Dead (1949) i. ii. 25 What a bunch of good old boys there were in the platoon.
1965 T. Wolfe in Esquire Mar. 71 (heading) He is a coon hunter, a rich man, an ex-whiskey runner, a good old boy who hard-charges stock cars at 175 m.p.h... He is..the true vision of the New South.
1993 D. Gilb Magic of Blood 54 Like any good old boy, he..finds it very hard to refer to non-white people without calling them something.
2004 New Voice of New York 26 May 13 The confederate flag is still being flown, and the good old boys are still hanging around the feed store.
Good Parliament n. [compare post-classical Latin parliamentum bonum (1377 in this sense in a British source)] the parliament of 1376, which saw the first use of impeachment by the Commons and the emergence of the office of Speaker.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > deliberative, legislative, or administrative assembly > governing or legislative body of a nation or community > English or British parliament > [noun] > a particular English or British parliament > specific
great Parliamentc1450
Good Parliament1580
addle parliament1614
giunto1641
junto1641
Unlearned Parliament1643
Long Parliament1646
rump?1653
Short Parliament1653
lay Parliament1655
Barebone's Parliament1657
Rump Parliament1659
Little Parliamenta1675
Long Parliament1678
Pensioner Parliament1678
Pensioned Parliament1681
Bluestocking Parliamenta1683
Pension Parliament1682
Pensionary Parliament1690
marvellous Parliament?1706
rumple1725
lack-learning Parliament1765
unreported Parliament1839
Cavalier Parliament1849
Addled Parliament1857
merciless Parliament1875
wonderful Parliament1878
nominated Parliament1898
1580 J. Stow Chrons. of Eng. 467 A Parliament, commonly called the good Parliament, was holden at Westminster [c1440 Walsingham Hist. Angl. I. 324 Parliamenti quod Bonum merito vocabatur].
?1706 E. Hickeringill Priest-craft: 2nd Pt. v. 54 We meet..with a Parliament, called the good Parliament, in the 50th Year of Edw. III. and the great Parliament, and the marvellous Parliament, both in the Reign of Rich. II.
1875 W. Stubbs Constit. Hist. II. xvi. §262. 433 The impeachment of the great offenders, and the substitution of a new council, were however only a small part of the business of the Good Parliament.
1997 N. Saul Richard II (1999) ii. 19 In May 1376 popular discontent with the government boiled over in a crisis in the Good Parliament.
good people chiefly Irish English (with the) the fairies or elves collectively; (also occasionally) witches collectively; cf. good folk n., good neighbour n. 2. [Apparently originally after Scottish Gaelic an sluagh math, †an sluagh maith (collective singular), lit ‘the good people, the good host’ (attested earliest in quot. a1692, in an English context; with the first element compare slogan n.); compare also Irish na daoine maithe, Scottish Gaelic na daoine matha, both lit. ‘the good people’ (plural; first half of the 19th cent. or earlier).]
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > fairy or elf > [noun] > collectively
fairya1375
good neighboura1585
faerie1612
good peoplea1692
small people1696
little people1719
Sidhe1724
gentrya1731
little mena1731
small folk1785
little folk1791
gentlefolk1795
the wee folk1819
good folk1820
Pharisee1823
gentle-people1832
fairyhood1844
folk of peace1875
a1692 R. Kirk Secret Commonw. in M. Hunter Occult Lab. (2001) iii. 79 These sith's or Fairies, they call sluagh-maith or the good people..and are said to be of a midle nature betwixt man and Angell.
a1731 G. Waldron Descr. Isle of Man 126 in Compl. Wks. (1731) The good People..live in Wilds and Forests, and on Mountains, and shun great Cities because of the Wickedness acted therein.
1803 W. Scott Minstrelsy Sc. Border (ed. 2) II. 228 (note) Fairies [in Ireland]..are termed ‘the good people’.
1889 J. A. Froude Two Chiefs Dunboy vi Babies had been changed in the cradles by the ‘good people’.
1951 C. S. Lewis Let. (1966) 234 The desolate coast on which it stands is haunted by ‘the good people’. There is also a ghost but..the faeries are a more serious danger.
2001 J. McGowan Echoes Savage Land (2006) ii. 46 A small piece was left untouched in the corner of the field for the fairies or ‘good people’.
good-plucked adj. spirited, determined; plucky, fearless; cf. well-plucked adj.
ΚΠ
1811 Sporting Mag. Aug. 250/1 The men were also good-plucked, to use the modern slang; for they hit until they had not a hit in them.
1855 W. M. Thackeray Newcomes II. xxi. 202 You are a good-plucked fellow.
1935 D. Fortune Sea Priestess xxvii. 249 I could see her square her shoulders and brace herself to meet it. She was a good-plucked kid.
2001 Cairns (Queensland) Post (Nexis) 27 Aug. 3 The fighting journalist of Thady O'Kane's brand, who died at Cairns recently, was a good plucked 'un.
good soldier n. chiefly North American a loyal and unquestioning follower, member, etc.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > service > servant > retainer or follower > [noun] > faithful or devoted
Achates1582
fidus Achates1603
myrmidon1620
old faithful1648
liegeman1823
good soldier1972
1972 Republican-Courier (Findlay, Ohio) 7 Aug. a6/6 After convincing Larry O'Brien that he should remain as Democratic national chairman, McGovern quickly changed his mind... O'Brien, being a good soldier, said nothing.
1994 New Yorker 1 Aug. 27/1 Mfume, however, refused to play the good soldier; instead of quietly acceding to the President's decision, he publicly scolded the White House.
2009 National Post (Canada) (Nexis) 2 Nov. (All But Toronto ed.) b5 Though in fairness, he played 79, 82, 76 and 80 games in his four full seasons there, and was a good soldier even with lousy teams.
good taste n. good or discerning judgement, esp. with regard to what is aesthetically pleasing, fashionable, polite, or socially appropriate.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > good taste > [noun]
good tastea1400
sensea1616
epicurism1655
gusto1663
fancyc1665
sapience1667
taste1671
curiositya1684
niceness1698
gust1706
sensibility1735
connoissance1736
connoisseurship1749
tapinophoby1773
theoria1846
shibui1960
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) l. 18889 Þe salmes seiþ bi good taast [a1400 Vesp. thoru þe haligast] His wonynge shulde be wilde & waast.
1570 J. Dee in H. Billingsley tr. Euclid Elements Geom. Math. Præf. sig. aijv Of which true vse of our Megthica, or Megethologia, Diuine Plato seemed to haue good taste, and iudgement.
1693 F. Saunders in Coll. Poems by Several Hands Publisher to Reader sig. A3 They [sc. the present Collection of Poems] all carry such Credentials, as not only to justifie the good Taste of our Age and Nation..[etc.]
1723 E. Chambers tr. S. Le Clerc Treat. Archit. I. 29 By Proportion I don't here mean, a Relation of Ratio's as the Geometricians do; but a Suitableness of parts, founded on the good Taste of the Architect.
1824 W. Scott Let. 4 Apr. (1935) VIII. 247 I have gamboled a little in the entrance hall..which I know was not in very good taste when I did it.
1940 Washington Post 20 Sept. 17 (heading) Too much veiling and sequins not in good taste; costume suit is smart.
1990 R. R. Davies Domination & Conquest iv. 84 They had the good taste and the good sense not to press the issue of the feudal subjection of Scotland to England.
2005 N.Y. Mag. 18 July 45 Does your wife help you shop? She likes to dress me, which I'm fine with. She has very good taste.
good-wearing adj. (of a garment, fabric, etc.) that is able to withstand wear well; cf. hard-wearing adj. at hard adv. Compounds 2.
ΚΠ
1698 Post Man & Hist. Acct. 12 Apr. Good wearing Hats in their kind will be sold for 4 s.
1879 Mrs. A. G. F. E. James Indian Househ. Managem. 16 It made a warm, good-wearing costume.
1925 Today's Housewife Nov. 10/4 (advt.) Rare bargain in genuine black vici-kid with flexible hand turned good-wearing leather soles.
1997 Evening Post (Wellington, N.Z.) (Nexis) 3 June They are made from a good-wearing fabric, and the texture and cut set them off.
Good Wednesday n. the Wednesday before Easter.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > worship > liturgical year > feast, festival > specific Christian festivals > Holy Week > [noun] > Wednesday in
Good Wednesday1471
Holy Wednesday1613
Spy Wednesday1842
1471 in T. Thomson Acts Lords Auditors (1839) 16/1 Onne gude Wednisday in passioun woulk.
1893 R. O. Heslop Northumberland Words Good Wednesday, the Wednesday before Easter Day.
2002 R. Sterling et al. World Food: Greece (Lonely Planet) 121 On Good Wednesday housekeepers call on their priests to have the eggs and flour blessed.
† good willing n. Obsolete the action of wishing well to someone, favourable disposition; = goodwill n. 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > kindness > [noun] > goodwill or kind intention > action of wishing well
well-willinga1382
goodwill1535
good willing1556
well-wishing1562
well wish1595
1556 tr. J. de Flores Histoire de Aurelio & Isabelle sig. O3 All the wyseste desires their fauour and goode willinge.
C2. Compounds of the noun.
a. Objective compounds of the noun with present participles (chiefly in sense B. 4a), as good-defying, good-enhancing, good-foreboding, etc. Cf. good-doing n.
ΚΠ
1722 O. Dykes Royal Marriage 138 National Love Will follow the Train of this good-foreboding Comet.
1874 E. B. Pusey Lenten Serm. 14 A happy good-foreboding close of a common-place life.
1895 J. Smith Perm. Message Exod. xv. 250 This God-disowning, good-defying spirit.
1962 Jrnl. Philos. 59 485 Humor is always a good-enhancing feature.
1994 B. Puka Moral Devel. 316 The altruist puts good-enhancing values generally above self-enhancing ones.
b. attributive in plural (in sense B. 10a). Originally with reference to the movement or transportation of goods by railway; frequently in contrast with passenger (see passenger n. Compounds 1). Later more generally with reference to the transportation or delivery of goods by road and other means.In some early uses written as genitive plural compound, probably hypercorrectly.
goods agent n.
ΚΠ
1844 Glasgow Herald 4 Oct. Parties sending to any Station Goods to be transmitted by a particular Train only, are requested to send notice writing in the Goods' Agent some hours previous.
1889 G. Findlay Working & Managem. Eng. Railway 15 The ‘Goods Agent’ is responsible for the goods working.
1956 Railway Mag. Nov. 722/2 Goods agents..have been provided with motor scooters, to enable them to cover ground more quickly.
2009 A. Lorenz GKN iv. 45 He was promoted at the age of 22 to the post of goods agent, which was based in Smethwick, near Birmingham.
goods box n.
ΚΠ
1846 Glasgow Herald 25 May (advt.) Goods Tables, Goods Boxes and Deep Drawers, Gas Burners, Meter and Pipes.
1880 ‘M. Twain’ Tramp Abroad xix. 173 A little bit of a goods-box of a barn.
1998 F. Nolan West of Billy the Kid ii. 12 There was..even a district courtroom, although it consisted of only a chair for the judge and a lawyer's table made of goods boxes set end to end.
goods checker n.
ΚΠ
1861 Leeds Mercury 19 Jan. 4/2 Same day, aged 37, Mr. Geo. Philip Thompson, goods checker, of this town.
1897 Daily News 15 Nov. 2/5 Two railway servants..were killed, one a goods checker and the other a platelayer.
2000 Dublin Hist. Rev. 53 138 When he recovered from his ordeal Driver Hyland..served until the 1930's as a goods checker in Bray.
goods department n.
ΚΠ
1832 Calcutta Mag. June 302/2 Govind Dhur is our banian in the goods department.
1897 Daily News 22 Feb. 3/5 The strike is wholly confined to the railway servants in the goods departments.
2011 P. Atterbury Paul Atterbury's Lost Railway Journeys 28 (caption) Surviving paperwork, such as this 1900s carriage note from Bournemouth goods department, is much sought after.
goods engine n.
ΚΠ
1837 Liverpool Mercury 5 May 142/3 [He] was employed in repairing the Orion, goods engine, at the first shed near the Manchester end of the line.
1869 Eng. Mech. 26 Mar. 5/2 The goods engines were moderate in weight.
1903 Westm. Gaz. 3 Oct. 7/3 One of the standard eight-coupled goods engines.
1984 C. Garratt Brit. Steam Lives! viii. 91 The relative stability of the track in Britain enabled goods engines to work without pony trucks or bogies.
goods entrance n.
ΚΠ
1847 Morning Post 8 Dec. 5/4 The goods entrance of the Eastern Counties Railway.
1955 Evening Standard 28 Oct. 15/3 (heading) Doorman/timekeeper for staff and goods entrance.
2012 Drogheda Independent (Nexis) 5 Dec. 3 The robbery occurred at the Marsh Road goods entrance to Scotch Hall shopping centre at approximately 4.30 p.m.
goods guard n.
ΚΠ
1845 Rep. Select Comm. Atmospheric Railways 190 (table) in Parl. Papers (H.C. 252) X. 177 Goods guard... Goods-truck getting off the line by the breaking of a coupling.
1902 Daily Chron. 5 Feb. 3/4 Every shunter, and..every goods guard.
2000 Times of India 3 Mar. 10/2 (advt.) Railway Rectt. Board... Goods guard... Age limit: 18 to 33 years.
goods lift n.
ΚΠ
1847 ‘Veritas Vincit’ Railway Locomotive Managem. xiii. 37 It was found necessary to remove the turn-tables that impeded the waggon-way to the goods-lift.
1909 Westm. Gaz. 1 Apr. 8/3 He got into the goods lift with some fifteen other men.
1999 T. Etchells Endland Stories 32 When she got to the hotel Naomi bribed the bell-hop (three kisses) and then made her way up in the goods lift.
goods lorry n.
ΚΠ
1877 Times of India 29 Aug. 1/3 (advt.) Merchandise..will be carried on Goods' Lorries at the following rates, namely [etc.].
1911 Standard 28 Sept. 8/2 The range of a goods lorry could be as much as 200 miles in a day.
2012 Times of India (Nexis) 14 Dec. The mini lorry carrying pilgrims from the Veeraghava Temple..collided with a goods lorry bound for Andhra Pradesh from Chennai.
goods manager n.
ΚΠ
1842 Belfast News-let. 26 Apr. 3/3 Goods requiring extra despatch may generally be sent by the Passenger Trains. For further information, apply to Mr. Peace, Goods' Manager, Glasgow Station.
1889 G. Findlay Working & Managem. Eng. Railway 13 The executive management of the line is carried on by a General Manager, a Chief Goods Manager [etc.].
1987 R. Stoneman Land of Lost Gods ix. 231 [He] rented a room in Ayasolouk itself, from the goods manager of the Smyrna-Aidin railway.
goods set n. rare
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > rail travel > rolling stock > [noun] > railway wagon or carriage > for goods
freight wagon1832
freight car1833
goods wagon1840
dog box1905
goods set1927
1927 W. E. Collinson Contemp. Eng. 8 Goods sets i.e. a set of goods trucks.
goods shed n.
ΚΠ
1840 Bristol Mercury 28 Nov. 4/4 Being the construction of all the Earthwork, Masonry, Brickwork, Carpentry, and other Works, necessary for the entire completion of the Passenger and Goods Sheds, Engine-house, Offices and Buildings.
1929 Financial Times 17 Dec. 4/7 South Lynn is to have additional sidings and goods shed accommodation.
1997 H. J. Yates in P. Burman & M. Stratton Conserving Railway Heritage viii. 130 Many goods shed and locomotive depots have found a new life in light industry.
goods station n.
ΚΠ
1837 Minutes of Evid. Chester & Birkenhead Railway Bill 406 in Parl. Papers (H.L. 107.1) XVII. 1 ‘The Harrington Station, down at the Docks.’ ‘Which is that?’ ‘Through the Tunnel.’ ‘Is that the Goods Station?’ ‘Yes, the Goods Station.’
1878 F. S. Williams Midland Railway (ed. 4) 170 The use of their London goods station.
1961 Times 30 June 9/4 Railwaymen have come to talk of such goods stations as ‘railheads’.
2011 G. Hutchins Last Train to Paradise v. 107 By 1897 the latter was known as Ngaruawahia Station, while the other became the goods station.
goods train n.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > rail travel > rolling stock > [noun] > train > goods train
goods train1832
freight train1845
good1855
freight1861
1832 Liverpool Mercury 2 Mar. 70/3 The engineer of the goods train not checking his speed as he ought to have done..his engine came violently into contact with the last carriage of the other train.
1885 Manch. Examiner 17 Jan. 5/4 A goods train which was backing on to a siding.
1926 S. T. Warner Lolly Willowes ii. 134 The far-off pulsation of a goods train labouring up a steep cutting.
2002 Times 13 Mar. 2/3 The Channel Tunnel was closed to goods trains indefinitely yesterday.
goods traffic n.
ΚΠ
1838 Manch. Guardian 28 Feb. The management of..the future goods traffic of the London and Birmingham Railway.
1935 Economist 7 Dec. 1136/2 As far as goods traffic is concerned, the growth of the Diesel lorry or ‘oiler’ has been at the expense of the ‘steamer’ as much as of the petrol vehicle.
1995 B. Bryson Notes from Small Island (1996) xiii. 166 Bladon is a nondescript little place trembling under the weight of passing goods traffic.
goods van n.
ΚΠ
1846 Standard 7 May The train ran off the rails to the left of the line, and the goods van and all the horse boxes ran down an embankment.
1913 Econ. Jrnl. 23 452 The parcels van boys are drawn from a better class than the goods van guards.
2012 Liverpool Echo (Nexis) 23 Aug. 7 Thieves in St Helens are targeting small goods vans.
goods vehicle n.
ΚΠ
1958 Times 26 Sept. 6/4 Air suspension is confined mostly to passenger-carrying vehicles, for the normal leaf springing is considered satisfactory for goods vehicles.
2003 Independent 7 Nov. 10/5 The latest figures..showed that the number of miles covered by larger goods vehicles on motorways and minor rural roads fell slightly.
goods wagon n.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > rail travel > rolling stock > [noun] > railway wagon or carriage > for goods
freight wagon1832
freight car1833
goods wagon1840
dog box1905
goods set1927
1840 Standard 14 Nov. 1/6 He was then by his engine, which was attached to the goods wagon.
1890 W. J. Gordon Foundry 153 An ordinary goods waggon carries eight tons.
2000 R. W. Holder Taunton Cider & Langdons v. 22 The land adjoining Taunton station had been incorporated in the marshalling yards for goods wagons.
goods yard n.
ΚΠ
1839 Railway Times 13 Apr. 314/3 Increased space which has been given to the goods' yard.
1844 Aberdeen Jrnl. 10 July 2/2 Otherwise it would have careered into the goods yard.
1891 Leisure Hour 40 194/1 The goods-yard porter is not the least important of the railway workmen.
1959 M. Taylor Railways as Career iv. 64 In bigger goods yards there will be several trains being made up.
1999 D. Haslam Manchester, Eng. i. 8 The unchecked sprawl of industrial factories, chemical and dye-works, and railway goods yards.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2014; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

goodv.

Brit. /ɡʊd/, U.S. /ɡʊd/
Forms: Old English godian, Old English goodian, early Middle English gode, early Middle English godenn ( Ormulum), early Middle English godi (south-west midlands), early Middle English godie, Middle English– good; English regional 1700s goodee (Devon), 1800s gud (Cumberland), 1800s– agoodied (Devon, past participle), 1800s– agüdied (Devon, past participle), 1800s– goode (Cornwall), 1800s– goody (south-western), 1900s– guod (Yorkshire); also Scottish pre-1700 good, pre-1700 gud, pre-1700 gudd- (inflected form), pre-1700 guidd- (inflected form), pre-1700 1700s 1900s– guid, pre-1700 1800s gude.
Origin: A word inherited from Germanic.
Etymology: Cognate with or formed similarly to Old Frisian gōdia to improve (something), and also (with varying stem classes) Middle Dutch, Dutch goeden to give goods to (a person or group of people), to endow (a person or group of people), in Middle Dutch also (in impersonal construction) to benefit (a person), Old High German gotten to justify (a person) (in an isolated attestation, glossing post-classical Latin justificare justify v.; Middle High German güeten , German (now rare and regional) güten to improve (a person or thing), (reflexive) to improve, to get better), Old Icelandic gœða to give goods to (a person or group of people), to endow (a person or group of people), Old Swedish göþa to enrich (land) with manure (Swedish göda , also in sense ‘to fatten (an animal)’), Old Danish gøtæ to enrich (land) with manure (Danish gøde , also in sense ‘to fatten (an animal)’) < the Germanic base of good adj.With sense 2b compare earlier gooding n. 1a. With sense 3 compare early Middle English godiere ( < good v. + -er suffix1) in sense ‘benefactor (of a monastery)’, attested in isolated use in a late copy of an Old English text. In Old English the prefixed form gegōdian (compare y- prefix) is also attested in the same senses; some instances of prefixed forms of the past participle (as e.g. in quots. OE or ?c1225 at sense 4a) could instead reflect this verb.
Now rare (chiefly British regional in later use).
1. intransitive. To become better, improve; to thrive, prosper. Also: to get better, recover. English regional (south-western) in later use.In quot. OE3: with non-referential it as subject.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > improvement > [verb (intransitive)] > improve or grow better
betterOE
goodOE
risec1175
mend1546
meliorize1598
to mend one's hand1611
improve1642
meliorate1655
brighten1659
ameliorate1728
to look up1806
to tone up1881
raise1898
graduate1916
to shape up1938
OE Ælfric Lives of Saints (Julius) (1881) I. 144 Eower kynedom godað þurh heora godan geearnunga.
OE tr. Pseudo-Apuleius Herbarium (Vitell.) (1984) i. 36 Ðonne godiað þæra lendena sar.
OE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Tiber. B.iv) anno 959 On his dagum hit godode georne, & God him geuðe þæt he wunode on sibbe.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 10866 & godenn aȝȝ fra daȝȝ to daȝȝ.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 6016 God mann..godeþþ aȝȝ.
?a1200 (?OE) Peri Didaxeon (1896) 35 Hæte hym man bæþ swa hraþa, swa hys wisa godiȝe.
1746 Exmoor Scolding in Gentleman's Mag. July 355/1 Dest thenk enny theng will goodee or vittee wi' enny zitch a trub as thee art?
a1794 M. Palmer Dialogue Devonshire Dial. (1837) ii. 16 Her, poor homan, took by upon the death of her husband, and never gooded arter.
1865 R. Hunt Pop. Romances West Eng. 224 Weakly children—‘children that wouldn't goode’, or thrive—were sometimes drawn through the cleft ash-tree.
1888 F. T. Elworthy W. Somerset Word-bk. at Goody How they there young things will goody in your keep.
†2.
a. transitive. To improve the quality, condition, or appearance of. Obsolete (English regional (western) in later use).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > goodness and badness > quality of being good > improvement > [verb (transitive)]
beetc975
betterOE
goodOE
sharpa1100
amendc1300
enhance1526
meliorate1542
embetter1568
endeara1586
enrich1598
meliorize1598
mend1603
sweeten1607
improve1617
to work up1641
ameliorate1653
solace1667
fine1683
ragout1749
to make something of1778
richen1795
transcendentalize1846
to tone up1847
to do something (also things) for (also to)1880
rich1912
to step up1920
uprate1965
up1968
nice1993
OE Wærferð tr. Gregory Dialogues (Corpus Cambr.) (1900) i. iv. 40 Ge wæron þa þe eow sylfe godiaþ [OE Hatton rihtwisiað; L. iustificatis] beforan mannum, ac God cann eowre heortan.
lOE Laws: Gerefa (Corpus Cambr.) xiii. 455 A he mæig findan, hwæt he mæig on byrig betan..: oððe hus godian, rihtan & weoxian & grep hegian, dicsceard betan, hegas godian.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 11832 Uss birrþ sone þess te bett. & tess te mare uss godenn.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 2118 Hiss haliȝdom. Wass godedd himm. & ekedd.
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 315 Ȝe muȝe beon þurch ham igodet & iwurset. Onoðer half.
1567 G. Turberville Epitaphes, Epigrams f. 49v Whose filed tongue with sugred talke would good a simple case.
1636 J. Henshaw Horæ Succisivæ (ed. 4) i. Ep. Ded. 2 The end of divine reading is to good our knowledge.
1712 R. Blackmore Creation vii. 339 To Ill her Hate, to Good her Appetite, To shun the first, the latter to procure.
1875 ‘S. Beauchamp’ Nelly Hamilton II. ii. 24 Ween han some hops, that flood it gooded them.
b. transitive. Originally and chiefly Scottish. To enrich (land) with manure; = manure v. 5a. Also occasionally intransitive. Cf. gooding n. 1a. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > cultivation or tillage > preparation of land or soil > fertilizing or manuring > fertilize or manure [verb (transitive)]
gooda1525
marl1528
plentify1555
fat1562
fatten1563
season1563
heart1573
manure1577
soil1593
hearten1594
remanure1598
enrich1601
teasel1610
battle1611
batten1612
bedung1649
sweeten1733
top-dress1733
top1856
side-dress1888
a1525 Bk. Sevyne Sagis l. 309 in W. A. Craigie Asloan MS (1925) II. 10 To gud the tre than couth he bid To gar it bere.
1579 in J. D. Marwick & R. Renwick Charters rel. Glasgow (1906) II. 560 The said Crestene Cottis, quha had the thrid pairt [of land] thairof this year guddit.
1628 Bp. J. Hall Serm. Publike Fast 29 God hath taken it in from the barren Downes, and gooded it.
1636 J. Henshaw Horæ Succisivæ (ed. 4) i. 236 Where He hath dunged and gooded, to expect a crop is but reasonable.
a1690 D. Monro Descr. W. Isles (1961) 87 Eftir that he gudes it weill with sea wair.
1728 MS Minutes Arbroath Town Council 6 Sept. in Sc. National Dict. (1956) at Guid v. The said James Whytlaw..shall sufficiently Good, sou, labour and manure the same.
1805 G. Barry Hist. Orkney App. vii. 447 They good their land with sea-ware.
1814 Gen. Rep. Agric. State & Polit. Circumstances Scotl. II. 64 This ridge the cottager undertakes to gude or dung completely.
†3. transitive. To endow or add to the wealth of (a monastery, church, etc.). Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > transfer of property > settlement of property > settle (property) [verb (transitive)] > endow
worthOE
goodOE
dow1297
allowc1400
rentc1400
endowc1440
enduec1440
seizec1450
empossessc1500
revestc1500
indot1520
endote1528
dotatec1540
estate1609
instate1614
portion1663
vest1748
fortune1838
OE Charter: Earl Leofric & his Wife Godgifu to St Mary's Church, Worcester (Sawyer 1232) in A. J. Robertson Anglo-Saxon Charters (1956) 210 Gyf ænig sy þe hit [sc. the land] mid ænigan þingan geecean wylle oððe godian, God ælmihtig him geunne gesundfull lif & ece mede.
lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough interpolation) anno 963 Ða bohte se abbot Aldulf landes feola & manega & godede þa þet mynstre swiðe mid ealle.
?a1160 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1137 Martin abbot..wrohte on þe circe & sette þarto landes & rentes & goded it suythe.
c1196 ( Agreement between Bp. Wulfwig & Earl Leofric & his Wife Godgifu (Sawyer 1478) in A. J. Robertson Anglo-Saxon Charters (1956) 212 Þæt is ærost þæt hig bædan þone bisceop þæt hig mostan þæt mynster godian.
4.
a. transitive. To help, benefit, or do a service to (a person).
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > advantage > be advantageous or beneficial to [verb (transitive)]
helpc1000
goodOE
steadc1175
to do (one) boot?c1225
advancec1330
profitc1330
availc1384
servea1398
vaila1400
vailc1400
prevail1442
advantage?1459
vantagec1460
bootc1540
benefit1549
conduce?1577
to serve (one) in some, no stead1601
bonify1603
answer1756
better1833
to stand to ——1841
to stand (a person or thing) in (good, etc.) stead1887
OE Homily (Corpus Cambr. 421) in A. S. Napier Wulfstan (1883) 257 Se hælend spræc to sumum weligum men, þe he hine hæfde mid wlencum and mid wiste gegodadne.
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 282 As..mon oðer wummon þet ȝe beoð of igodet.
a1500 Wisdom of Solomon (Cambr. Kk.1.5) in R. Girvan Ratis Raving & Other Early Scots Poems (1939) 181 To wykyt man he gevis grete pane..& na hap to good hyme with his gwde that he has.
1620 T. Shelton tr. M. de Cervantes Don Quixote ii. 126 The servant sleepes and the Master wakes, thinking how he may maintaine, good him, and doe him kindnesses.
1851 T. Sternberg Dial. & Folk-lore Northants. 42 It wont good me none.
1889 E. Peacock Gloss. Words Manley & Corringham, Lincs. (ed. 2) 242 God good you with it, ‘May you have good by it’, commonly said by way of sarcasm.
2010 R. L. Palmer Archibald Zwick & Eight Towers xxiii. 162 Was I wronged or was I gooded?
†b. intransitive. To do good, be beneficial. Obsolete. rare.
ΚΠ
1563 J. Man tr. W. Musculus Common Places Christian Relig. 52 God is readier to loue than to hate..and to good than to avenge.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2014; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.n.adv.int.eOEv.OE
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