ascared adj Pronc-spp ascaid, ascairt, askear(e)d, askeart, askeer(e)d, askeert [ a inert vowel 1 + scared, prob reinforced by analogy of afraid and afear(e)d adj.] formerly widespread, now esp Midl, Sth
Used predicatively: Scared, afraid.
1844 Boston Daily Bee (MA) 16 Nov 1/2, When he saw King Humadrum a-taking the taste out of his mouth, he thought he was a-pisoning of himself . . ; and he got askeared and he told his army, and they fired their pepper and cleared out. 1857 Gladstone Englishman 43 neKS, Step up, and liquor here, you sir. . . Here you, sir; don’t be askeard. 1877 U.S. Congress Serial Set 1765.2.110 seLA [Black], A. Well, I heard a great many say they wanted to, but were ascared. . . Q. What did they say?—A. They would like to vote the democratic ticket, but were ascared to do it. 1889 Folsom Scraps 175 GA, “Grandpa, won’t they sting us?” “Not if we ain’t a-scared of ’em.” 1895 Sun (NY NY) 25 Aug sec 2 9/2 cNY,“Don’t be askeert, it won’t bite,” he said. “Rattlers never bite only when they be coiled an’ kin spring at you.” 1924 (1946) Greer-Petrie Angeline Gits an Eyeful 8 csKY, We wuz a-skeart if she wuz to git married off ag’in, hit might thow Betty . . out of a home. 1924 (1926) Vollmer Sun-Up 53 wNC, I ain’t askeered of no Yankee nohow. 1942 Hall Smoky Mt. Speech 52 wNC, eTN, I never was a-scared so bad. 1950 PADS 14.12 SC, Askeared. c1960 Wilson Coll.csKY, Askeared. . . Afraid. . . [əˈskjird, –ˈɛrd]. 1963 Owens Look to River 93 TX, You ain’t got no need to be a-scaid o’ me. 1965–70 DARE (Qu. GG25, . . Frightened: “The children were _____he was going to hurt them.”) Infs CA15, 107, IL97, MD2, MI26, 33 TX28, Ascared; TN13, Ascared to death; GA30, A-skeered. 1972 Atlanta Letters Macon GA, Have you ever been a-scairt? 1976 Garber Mountain-ese 4 sAppalachians, Most girls are askeerd uv mice. 1979 AZ Republic (Phoenix) 24 Oct sec B 1/1 GA, There was a twinkle in her eye as she [=Lillian Carter] said, “Jimmy’s not a-scared of Kennedy.” 1980 Galveston Daily News (TX) 28 Oct 1/3, Mayor Gus Manuel said . . . “If these go through, it shows you are ascared to go to the people and it shows that the council is ascared to go to the people.” 2006 DARE File NYC, Just caught a news report about the power outage in the Bronx. A woman said she was “ascared.”