heavensadv.
/ˈhɛvnz/, U.S. /ˈhɛv(ə)nz/ Chiefly colloquial.
As an intensifier: very, extremely. Originally and chiefly in descriptions of heavy rainfall, esp. in heavens hard.
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
1858 C. Dickens et al. in Househ. Words Extra Christmas No., 7 Dec. 21/1 A shy company through its raining Heavens hard.
1870 C. Dickens Edwin Drood i. 2 I got Heavens-hard drunk for sixteen years afore I took to this.
1889 Brighouse News 14 Sept. in Eng, Dial. Dict. (1902) III. 123/2 It rains heavens-high.
1914 Times 21 July 10/3 Last night it was raining heavens hard.
1964 N. Marsh Dead Water v. 112 It was pouring heavens-hard.
1998 Independent (Nexis) 10 Feb. 15 You stood up in front of the entire television industry and spoke without notes and got clapped heavens hard.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2008; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adv.1858