parkful

plural parkfuls · plural parksful

1. Enough to fill a park.

   I.e., parksful of artillery—from the custom of drilling and parading in civic parks.

   1979, The Norton Anthology of American Literature, volume I, New York, N.Y.; London: W. W. Norton & Company, →ISBN, page 1861

   5 more examples

   But if we have an ocean of Admirals, with only a Trafalgar Square Basin to put them in, we have likewise a whole parkful of Captains, and nothing but charity boys to give them to lead to victory.

   1849, “A Stock of Admirals, Captains, & Generals, Sufficient to Last for the Next 100 Years”, in Punch, or The London Charivari, volume 17, London, page 164

   Parkful Sees Civic Clubs Tie 24 To 24 / A parkful of people watched Lions and Kiwanians struggle to a 24-24 deadlock last night in the softball extravaganza of the year.

   1949 July 28, The Anadarko Daily News, volume 48, number 298, Anadarko, Okla., page 1

   We have a hunch they pictured the consequences when that kid came on the screen popping off about how good his cough syrup tastes on ice cream, and then they’d have parksful of children bawling for cough syrup on their ice cream, and the old geezers shouting that it twarnt like this when Old Winnie was in power, that’s what—

   1959 March 18, “Quick Click on English Channel”, in Wisconsin State Journal, Madison, Wis., page 6

   The kids jammed a corner of Recreation Park yesterday afternoon to scream their approval of the Pickwick Puppet Theater (which at times performs with symphony orchestras around the country when it is not enthralling parksful of children) brought to town by the New York State Office of Economic Opportunity and the Binghamton Parks Department.

   1968 August 13, “Pickwick Puppets a Screaming Hit”, in The Evening Press, volume 90, Binghamton, N.Y., page 1-C

   When she heard about Sigrid’s new position, Charlotte envisioned her whipping into shape whole parkfuls of Columbusites with her relentless exercising.

   1992, Alison Glen, Showcase: A Charlotte Sams Mystery, Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, page 205