gnarly = cool (1979)

[Jesse Sheidlower]

On Fri, Sep 30, 2005 at 01:05:14PM -0500, Mullins, Bill wrote:
> While hunting for gnarly and rad, I found:
>
> cherry (attrib) [OED has 1889 for cherry = virginity (noun), but nothing
> for adjectival.  Plus, the following sense isn't literally "virgin", but
> at best a figurative use.]
>
> Riding the Waves of 'California Dreaming'
> LEE GRANT
> Los Angeles Times; Dec 11, 1977; "Calendar" section, p.66 col 1.
> "The weather was so <i> bitchin </i>.  And the girls were <i> choice
> </i>. That Corvette, so <i> cherry </i>.  The surf was up, the waves <i>
> gnarly </i>."

HDAS has this to 1951-3 (citing a 1954 AS article). It's frequently
used of cars.

Jesse Sheidlower
OED