adv. and adj. (old literary: now colloquial).—An intensive form of TOO: over-and-above, more than enough, very good, extreme, utter; spec. (modern but obsolete) of exaggerated æstheticism. [HALLIWELL: It is often nothing more in sense than a strengthening of the word too, but TOO-TOO was regarded by our early writers as a single word.]
1533. Thersites [DODSLEY, Old Plays (HAZLITT), i. 423]. It is TOO TOO, mother, the pastime and good cheer.
1587. HOLINSHED, History of Ireland, F6b. 2b. Adding further, that he was TOO TOO evill, that coulde not speake well.
1590. SPENSER, The Fairie Queene, III. iv. 26. A lesson TOO TOO hard for living clay.
1596. SHAKESPEARE, Hamlet, i. 2. 129. Oh that this TOO TOO solid flesh would melt.
1605. SYLVESTER, Du Bartas, i. 6. Oh TOO-TOO happy!
1618. TAYLOR (‘The Water Poet’), Pennilesse Pilgrimage [Notes and Queries, 7 S. x. 498].
| Their loues they on the tenter-hookes did racke, | |
| Rost, boyld, bak’d, TOO TOO much, white, claret, sacke. |
1630. JONSON, The New Inn, ii. 2.
| Lov. That joy is TOO, TOO narrow, | |
| Would bound a love so infinite as mine. |
1634. FORD, Perkin Warbeck, ii. 2.
| The rigour and extremity of law | |
| Is sometimes TOO TOO bitter. |
1891. Notes and Queries, 7 S. XI. 30. Let the exclusive TOO-TOO æsthetes tolerate the remark that music and painting do not exist for them [alone].
