frowsty, a. orig. dial.
(ˈfraʊstɪ)
[Of obscure origin; cf. OF. frouste ruinous, decayed; also froughy, frowish, frowzy.]
Fusty; having an unpleasant smell. (In Berks., Oxf., Leic., and Glouc. glossaries.) Also in Comb.
| 1865 Athenæum No. 1960. 678/1 Use it on his frowsty head. 1881 E. J. Worboise Sissie xvii, When it is not only humble, but frowsty..you are apt to wish you were any⁓where else than at home! 1922 D. H. Lawrence Aaron's Rod xiv. 195 A frowsty-looking man. 1924 F. Hurst Lummox §3. 10 She was kind enough in a frowsty way. 1927 Manch. Guardian Weekly 28 Jan. 75/2 The frousty, self-conscious hedonism of the swagger music-hall. 1958 P. Kemp No Colours or Crest iii. 25 Neither daylight nor fresh air could penetrate to lighten the frowsty atmosphere of our dormitories. |