gnarly = cool (1979)

[Mullins, Bill]

>
> 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.
>


Not surprised.  I need to bring my copy from home to work.