fangful

comparative more fangful · superlative most fangful

1. Having sharp or menacing fangs.

   The cat was curled in a soft armchair close by the fire. She yawned a fangful yawn, stretched her claws and sat up.

   1982, David Hazard, “The Tale of a Bird”, in Stories, Songs, and Poems from The Peaceable Kingdom, page 26

   2 more examples

   Cerberus, soon as our adit he espied, Quivering in every limb for anger, wide Opened his fangful mouths, and at us gnasht.

   1893, Dante Alighieri, translated by George Musgrave, The Divine Comedy, page 37

   As Kerin came abreast of the reptile, the lizard opened its eyes, looked around, and rose on stumpy legs. It swiveled about to face Kerin, scattering sand; it opened fangful jaws and hissed like a kettle.

   1989, L. Sprague de Camp, The Honorable Barbarian, page 45

   Synonyms: fangsome, fangy

2. idiomaticCruel or venomous.

   Often the Crane Dame and a few others like her were fangful, seemingly garbed in witches' outfits and spitting venom whenever I was in their presence.

   2006, Ernestine D. Harris, Dancing with Fireflies, page 122

   2 more examples

   Such a woman's affectional demonstrations, if not wholly vampiral, would be a wide departure from the truth ; would not be really human, but snakish, fangful, Judas-like, because utterly and wholly empty of all genuine heartness, that ineffable delight man sighs for and expects.

   1872, Casca Llanna, Love, Woman, Marriage: The Grand Secret!, page 283

   That have lookt forward to a dawning sweet, Upon my tongue they have been bitter. Oh, I drained the cup of scorn in those old days When laughter and detraction followed me From fangful packs of snarlers, e'er and aye

   1913, John Galen Howard, Brunelleschi: A Poem, page 73

plural fangfuls

1. An amount (of venom) sufficient to fill a fang.

   With a howl of pain he grabbed the evil thing by the tail before it could sneak away. A big black cobra with its fangful of venom.

   1986, Bhabani Bhattacharya, A Goddess Named Gold, page 21

   2 more examples

   She lunged then, faster than Orsa had, something black and terrible in her face like a serpent about to unleash a fangful of venom.

   2020, Kiran Millwood Hargrave, A Secret of Birds & Bone, unnumbered page

   Not long after that, something fast and cool plunged a fangful of venom into his wrist, then slipped over the side of the boat with a gentle plop before he could get a good look at it.

   2021, Brian Staveley, The Empire's Ruin, unnumbered page

2. An amount sufficient to fill a fanged creature's mouth.

   Looking shiftily about, her eight eyes glittering like pewter sequins, she grabbed a fangful of crumbs.

   2015, Claire Barker, Ghost Dog, page 65

   2 more examples

   We heard how two copperheads line each side of the Frail to bite hikers as they pass, assuring at least one of the snakes a fangful.

   1998, Steve Sherman, Julia Older, “On the Appalachian Trail”, in Michael P. Branch, Daniel J. Philippon, editors, The Height of Our Mountains: Nature Writing from Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah Valley, page 302

   And down the dark and twisting clouds came a foggy stream of running wolves with luminous eyes, Quicksilver at their forefront, snapping at the head of the Wendigo, biting it away in airy fangfuls.

   2010, Carole Nelson Douglas, Silver Zombie, page 349