Sir, - Mr Martin Corless (October 21st) is surprised at the term "fulsome tribute". He quotes the unpleasant sole meanings given to, the adjective by his Concise Oxford Dictionary. Words sometimes, in the course of time, develop additional meanings or even contrary ones.
I have four English dictionaries. My Ogilvie's Comprehensive, 1867, largely agrees with the COD (of which we do not know the date), while by 1894 Webster gives "full, abundant, plenteous" as the first meanings and "offending &c" as only secondary ones.
The Shorter Oxford ED of 1933 and the Reader's Digest Universal of 1986 have the same arrangement. Lane's Larger English Irish. 1921, had not heard of the new meanings. - Yours, etc.,
Uaran Mor,
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Gaillimh.