daresome adj [OED2 daresome adj. “dialect. Venturesome, foolhardy”; 1864 (erroneously “1854”)] chiefly Sth, S Midl
1 Daring, reckless; hence n daresomeness.
[1888 Oregonian (Portland OR) 12 Nov 2/4, Astonished wife to husband, who has just kissed her)—Why, Mr. Daresome. . .—Town Topics.] 1903 Macon News (GA) 9 Feb 4/3, Lee Johnson was fined $10 . . for throwing rocks. Johnson is about 13 years of age, and got exceedingly daresome in East Macon. 1904 Asheville Citizen (NC) 28 Dec 5/3, When the anxious mother heard this report she was ‘[‘]shore” it was Richard, for he was so “daresome” and unlucky. 1912 Weekly Democrat–Chief (Hobart OK) [27 June 8]/2, Rambling Riding Johnnie Hill gave an exhibition of sliding the corners at top speed. This youth is daresome and the ladies in the grand stand shrieked as he made each turn. 1921 Amer. School Bd. Jrl. 62.36, At this age youngsters have a sense of daresomeness more out of proportion to their ability to take care of themselves than at any other ages. 1931 Pensacola Jrl. (FL) 6 Apr 4/5, About the most daresome trick we ever attempted was on the last day of school. 1947 Huntsville Times (AL) 10 July 4/5, [Letter:] I think they ought to let men drive the buses as boys are too careless and daresome. 1962 Nashville Tennessean (TN) 26 Apr 18/6, [Letter:] As a teenager, I know that we are a bit more daresome than our grownup parents. 1999 Mason Clear Springs 232 wKY, She had resilience, verve, and what she called daresomeness. These are what saved her. 2012 Fairview Observer (TN) 18 Sept sec B 1/4, The Fairview community is also encouraged to come out and support these daresome local residents as they battle it out on the volleyball court this fall.
2 as predicate adj: Dangerous, risky.
1908 Laurel Ledger (MS) [10 Dec 4]/4, If this business keeps on it will be daresome for any of us to get out. ’Twixt automobilists runnin’ us an’ balloonatics an’ airshippers fallin’ on us, what is to become of us poor devils? 1939 S. Star (Ozark AL) 15 June 2/2, [Letter:] In previous years we have been annoyed immensely by mosquitoes. With our homes screened it was bad, but it was daresome to get out from the screens after sundown. 1959 Huntsville Times (AL) 24 Feb [4]/1, [Letter:] Most of the farmers now have their land posted to where it is daresome for a “city slicker” to even walk across it. 1972 Clarion–Ledger (Jackson MS) 4 May sec E 3/1, Grabbers had their special logs where it was daresome for another person to grab. . . [E]veryone knew that beyond the fallen beech and around the next bend the undercut bank to the left was staked out property of Uncle Sims Waller. 2014 Schwartz We Wanna Boogie 278 AR, The Silver Moon’s reputation as a rough place was affirmed by Johnny Ray Hubbard. . . “It was daresome for a strange woman to come into that place,” he said. “Somebody tried to get under that dress tail before she got out the door.”
3 Afraid, hesitant.
1889 Shreveport Times (LA) 6 Oct [4]/4, Suppose we liven up the social circle[.] Phœbe will cast vote to that effect, if the young people will take it in hand to revive it, for she is daresome to touch, handle or taste. 1903 Jasper Co. Rev. (Paulding MS) 30 July [3]/1, One is daresome to shoot a gun these days for fear he will hit a candidate. 1904 Ray Co. Rev. (Lawson MO) 26 May [6]/3, Each claimed to have the best thing on the Pike and you were daresome to dispute their word. 1919 Clarke Co. Democrat (Grove Hill AL) [30 Jan 3]/1, [Letter:] If there were any submarines near they were daresome to show themselves, for they wouldn’t have lasted a minute. c1937 in 1974 Amer. Slave 15.84 cNC [Black], We were daresome to be caught with a paper book or anything if we were tryin’ to learn to read and write. 1938 Rawlings Yearling 26 nFL, “I’ll swear,” Penny said, “I’m daresome to break the news to your Ma.” Ibid 169, But I’m daresome to leave you, boy. Suppose you was to git lost, or snake-bit, too? 1951 Gazette (Farmerville LA) 25 Jan 1/6, One is daresome to lean against some of the door-facings. They wobble about like a loose tooth. 1953 Atwood Survey of Verb Forms 33, Four N.C. informants have . . daresome . . /jur dærsəm tə go/ [in the context “you (dare not) go”]. 1969 DARE FW Addit Louisa KY, “I’m daresome to do it”—when you’re afraid to do something. 1971 Mt. Eagle (Whitesburg KY) 29 Apr 7/2, I got me some [plants] and they were sprayed till a bug would be daresome to take a bite of one. 1978 Charlotte News (NC) 24 Mar 1/1, A 20-year Dilworth resident said crime has increased so much there, “I’m daresome to go out my door in daytime, what with shotguns and pistols going off.” 1986 Pederson LAGS Concordance, 1 inf, nwFL, Daresome—afraid? 1 inf, cAL, Kind of daresome. 1995 Muncie Eve. Press (IN) 3 Nov 5/2, [Letter:] Things that have really ticked me off: . . Politicians who allow our neighborhoods and streets to deteriorate to the point where a person is daresome to leave home after dark. 2009 Baxter Bull. (Mountain Home AR) 7 Nov sec A 4/3, [Letter:] You’re daresome (sic) to have car trouble on these roads. There’s no room to pull off in an emergency.
4 Not afraid. Note: These examples perh represent a misunderstanding of 3 above.
1933 Rawlings South Moon 318 FL, He charged his rations as long as he was daresome to do so. 1938 Rawlings Yearling 229 nFL, He cuts as far back as he’s daresome to do.