English edit

Etymology edit

Probably a blend of massive and a respelling of the letters hu in huge infixed in the former.[1]

Pronunciation edit

Adjective edit

mahoosive

  1. (chiefly British, humorous, slang) Massive; huge; very large. [from 1990s]
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:large
    Antonyms: see Thesaurus:tiny
    • 2000 March 27, Laurence Bogle, “Re: DF”, in alt.fab.robert-jordan[1] (Usenet):
      Well, I haven't had any real problems with it, it's not the most reliable ISP I've ever used (mahoosive understatement), but considering it's free it's not too bad.
    • 2002 September 24, “Frothie” [pseudonym], “Re: More Mahoosive Spiders :S”, in alt.babylon5.uk[2] (Usenet):
      I even said to someone look at them mahoosive mosquitoes!! [] I tell ya, between the mahoosive mosquitoes, bees & wasps and caterpillars, I was VERY happy to get back to the city & it's pollution.
    • 2003 October 10, “Catkins” [pseudonym], “Re: Just ‘done’ Tescos”, in freeserve.chat[3] (Usenet):
      We do have a rather mahoosive store locally.
    • 2007 February 26, John P. Wood, Woody’s World Turns Left … into South East Asia, Bloomington, Ind., Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire: AuthorHouse, →ISBN, page 247:
      Picture this: we had a fat tourist: wandering along in a mahusive pair of budgie smugglers (Speedo's), and wearing this ridiculous flower hat; pawing over a local girl.
    • 2007 October 20, Sam Lyon, “England v South Africa countdown”, in BBC Sport[4], archived from the original on 8 June 2021:
      And on that note, I shall bid you all a fond au revoir. This scene-setting commentary will now end, and Phil Harlow will bring you all the action from the Stade de France before, during and after tonight's mahoosive match.
    • 2010 January 23, “humble.life” [pseudonym], “Re: get this …”, in alt.support.depression[5] (Usenet):
      Those destinations are the span of England. And it's not exactly a mahoosive country …
    • 2012 July 6 (updated 2012 September 25), Gilly Ferguson, “Is Rachel McAdams pregnant!? Let’s examine the evidence (the bump)”, in Daily Mirror[6], London: Reach plc, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2 December 2020:
      Rachel McAdams showed off a mahusive baby bump while out and about in Notting Hill, London late yesterday afternoon. Which could just about be the most exciting thing to ever happen, today.
    • 2015 November, Danie Ware, “Muster”, in Ecko Endgame, London: Titan Books, Titan Publishing Group, →ISBN:
      Bass-thrum and glass-shard music swelled slowly in volume. Despite the sound's sweetness, its painful clarity, something in Ecko shivered – it jagged at his nerves like the old fingernails-down-a-blackboard trick. It was pure power, some ma-hu-sive engine that was just turning over, warming the fuck up.
    • 2019 June 17, Matt Goulet, quoting Henry Cavill, “Henry Cavill Reveals His Secret to Getting Big Arms”, in Richard Dorment, editor, Men’s Health[7], New York, N.Y.: Hearst Magazine Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 3 October 2020:
      So if you're shy about going to the gym because there is always someone next to you using mahoosive weights, don't be. You do your weights, just make every workout count.

Alternative forms edit

Translations edit

References edit