bigly

English

WOTD – 3 June 2017

Alternative forms

• biglie, bygly (both obsolete)

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /ˈbɪɡ.li/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

• Hyphenation: big‧ly

Etymology 1

From Middle English bygly, byggly, biggely. By surface analysis, big (“of great size, large (adjective); to a large extent, on a large scale; hard (adverb)”) +‎ -ly.

Adverb

bigly (comparative more bigly, superlative most bigly)

1. (now rare) In a big way, greatly; to a great extent, on a large scale.
   • 1915, Cosmo Hamilton, The Miracle of Love, page 256:

     He looked at Mrs. Harling, who loomed bigly in the dull light.

   • 1968, Gwendolyn Brooks, “The Second Sermon on the Warpland”, in In the Mecca:

     Big Bessie's feet hurt like nobody's business, / but she stands—bigly—under the unruly scrutiny, stands in the wild weed.

   • 2003 April 5, S Alam Hannan, “The instrument that determined my practice”, in BMJ: British Medical Journal‎^[3]:

     I have only one real (and ridiculous) reason—the reflection of my awestruck 5 year old face in a head mirror. […] I gripped my mother's hand while she spoke to a big voice from a big face from a big man in a big white coat. He suddenly stopped and turned his big eyes on me. I dug my nails into my mother's hand. He reached out his big hand over the menacing silver array on his desk. I closed my eyes tightly. He said something … bigly.

   • 2006 October 23, Rush Limbaugh, rushlimbaugh.com‎^[4]:

     I will bigly, hugely admit that I was wrong

   • 2008, Joy Katz, “On Sharon Olds: Big Baby”, in Arielle Greenberg, Rachel Zucker, editors, Women Poets on Mentorship: Efforts and Affections, page 79:

     In the light and air the shadows of the clouds move bigly over the baby's arms.

   • 2011, Norman Rush, Mortals, page 10:

     By the way, isn't my handwriting more appropriate now? You complained that I was writing too bigly for airletters and sort of cheating you of information.

   • 2012, AJ Stern, Rocking Out!:

     Halfway through the song, the audience decided that they actually really loved me because they started clapping and whooping and standing up. I smiled really bigly' and sang louder.

   • 2017 July 18, Tim Worstall, “Trump's Nafta Renegotiation - Insist On Minor Changes, Declare Victory Bigly”, in Forbes:

     That is, start to renegotiate, gain some minor concessions then declare victory bigly.

   • 2018 January 16, Derek Kravitz, Will Parker, “Eric Trump Stands to Profit Bigly From Sweetheart Real Estate Deal With His Dad”, in Mother Jones:
   • 2020, Paul Rausch, The Secret, page 449:

     What was the strange urgency? The thought hovered bigly […]

   • 2020 January 23, Rebecca Leber, “Pay to play: Interior Secretary’s old clients spend big and profit bigly”, in High Country News:
   • 2020 March 5, Mike McFeely, “How does Vice President Klobuchar sound?”, in Duluth News Tribune:

     Klobuchar delivered in Biden's moment of need. Bigly, as some might say. Her gift should be just as bigly.

2. (now rare) Strongly, with great force.
   • 1651, James Balfour, “[The Annales of Scotland.] Some Shorte Memories and Passages of Staite, from the 13 day of Marche, 1651, to the first of Januarij, 1653”, in [James Haig], editor, The Historical Works of Sir James Balfour of Denmylne and Kinnaird, Knight and Baronet; Lord Lyon King at Arms to Charles the First, and Charles the Second. Published from the Original Manuscripts Preserved in the Library of the Faculty of Advocates, volume III, London: Printed for Hurst, Robinson & Co. and Arch[ibald] Constable & Co. Edinburgh, published 1825, →OCLC, pages 311–312:

     Thesse men did much in order to publicke good, befor they spake biglie; bot done nothing since, saue that they haue drawin away considerable forces, raissed at wast charges for the publicke defence.

   • 1790, [James Graham], “The Infallible Guide to Eternal Blessedness; or, the Awful Worth, and Very High Dignity of the Soul, Arising from Its Immortality; [...]”, in The Guardian of Health, Long-Life, and Happiness: or, Doctor Graham's General Directions as to Regimen, &c. [...] To which are Added, the Christian's Universal, being a Paraphrase on Our Lord's Prayer; and a Complete and Infallible Guide to Everlasting Blessedness in Heaven!, Newcastle upon Tyne: Printed by S. Hodgson; and sold by the author; —by Mr Richardson, Royal Exchange, London; —Mr J. Guthrie, Nicholson-street, Edinburgh; and by Mr Cruttwell, Bath, →OCLC, page 7:

     It was well obſerved by the late pious Dr Doddridge, that "The eternal ſalvation of one ſoul is of far greater importance, and bigly pregnant with far greater events, than the temporal ſalvation, wealth, well-being, or happiness of a whole kingdom, though it were for the ſpace of ten thouſand, or of ten millions of ages; […]"

   • 2000, Keith Badman, The Beatles Off the Record, London: Omnibus Press, →ISBN:

     Tell me about The Mamas & Papas^[sic], Bob. I believe you’re backing them very bigly, and they’re great. I believe you're backing them.

   • 2016, Ray Cashman, quoting Patrick James (“Packy Jim”) McGrath, “Person and Place, Life and Times”, in Packy Jim: Folklore and Worldview on the Irish Border, Madison, Wis.: University of Wisconsin Press, →ISBN, page 63:

     And he [Henry David Thoreau] was very strong to, for the, for the—against slavery. He was very bigly against that. Slavery was going on in America, enslaving the black people.

3. (now rare) In a blustering or boastful manner; haughtily, pompously.
   • 1795, Juvenal, “The Works of Juvenal. Translated by John Dryden, Esq. and Others. Satire X.”, in John Dryden, transl., edited by Robert Anderson, The Works of the British Poets. With Prefaces, Biographical and Critical, by Robert Anderson, M.D., volume XII, London: Printed for John & Arthur Arch; and for Bell & Bradfute, and J. Mundell & Co., Edinburgh, →OCLC, page 699, column 2:

     Would'ſt thou not rather chooſe a ſmall renown, / To be the mayor of ſome poor paltry town, / Bigly to look, and barbarouſly to ſpeak; / To pound falſe weights, and ſcanty meaſures break?

   • 1822, Charles Symmons, “Appendix”, in The Life of John Milton, 3rd edition, London: Printed for G. and W. B. Whittaker, Ave Maria Lane, →OCLC, page 483:

     In any event, he adopted the whole of [William] Lauder's malignity; and let his partisans first clear him of this offense before they talk bigly of his innocence, and bluster in his cause.

   • 1859 June, G. Buffini Wufficks [probably a pseudonym], “The Polite Art of Novelling. A Didactic Fiction.”, in John R[euben] Thompson, editor, The Southern Literary Messenger; Devoted to Every Department of Literature and the Fine Arts, volume XXVIII (New Series, volume VII), Richmond, Va.: Macfarlane, Fergusson & Co., proprietors, →OCLC, pages 445, column 2, and 446, column 1:

     Of the Three General Modes of Newspaper Amplification, the first is adapted to persons who talk bigly without difficulty. Its Effect is indeed admirable. There is no fact or conceit so trivial and foolish that it may not be metamorphosed into the Highest Wisdom, or, at least, into the Tone and Semblance of the Highest Wisdom, by the Polysyllabic Method of Spreading. But to those who find it difficult to talk bigly, the adaptation of this method will be attended with the labour of a frequent recurrence to the Dictionary, a thing to be sedulously avoided by all who desire to novel politely, that is to say, easily, alike to Reader and to Writer.

Usage notes

• Bigly is now rare, possibly nonstandard, and other words such as greatly are typically used instead. Many uses are associated with Donald Trump, who in 2016 often used big league unusually as an adverb, rather than a noun or adjective, which was widely misinterpreted as (and thus popularized) the term bigly.

Etymology 2

From Middle English bygly, biglie, byggly (“comfortable, stately, perfect”), borrowed from Old Norse byggiligr, byggviligr (“habitable”); equivalent to big (“to build, construct, live in, reside, dwell”) +‎ -ly. Cognate with Icelandic byggilegur (“inhabitable, liveable”).

Adjective

bigly (comparative more bigly, superlative most bigly)

1. (Scotland, now obsolete elsewhere) Habitable, liveable; hence delightful, pleasant, pleasing.
   • 1806, Robert Jamieson, “Donul and Evir”, in Robert Jamieson, editor, Popular Ballads and Songs, from Tradition, Manuscripts, and Scarce Editions; with Translations of Similar Pieces from the Ancient Danish Language, and a Few Originals by the Editor, volume I, Edinburgh: Printed for Archibald Constable and Co. Edinburgh; Cadell and Davies, and John Murray, London, →OCLC, page 235:

     "And steek it weel, thy biglie bower, / And by the rood thee sain; / And tell thy bedes in haly guise, / Till this ae night is gane!"

   • 1828, Peter Buchan, “Burd Helen”, in Ancient Ballads and Songs of the North of Scotland, hitherto Unpublished. With Explanatory Notes, by Peter Buchan, Corresponding Member of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, volume II, Edinburgh: Printed for W[illiam] & D[avid] Laing, and J. Stevenson [et al.], →OCLC, page 35:

     When I was in my bigly bower, / I wore but what I would; / This night I'm lighter 'mang Willie's horse feet, / I fear I'll die for cold.

Further reading

• “bigly”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• Gilby, bilgy