Etymology Journal · S
Something fierce
Meaning
- Used to intensify the degree of an adjective or action, effectively meaning very much or quite a lot. It is often attached to verbs like raining, hurting, or wanting.
Folksy, dramatic
Used in a sentence
- My lower back has been aching something fierce since we moved that sofa.
- It was raining something fierce when I drove home from the grocery store.
- He wants that new truck something fierce.
The backstory
This is an old-fashioned intensification that evolved from the literal meaning of fierce or violent. It has been a feature of Southern American English for over a century.
Heard in
The South
Vibe check