eighty-eleven

== English == === Alternative forms === eighty eleven, eighty-leven, eighty-'leven === Etymology === Originally as a calque of French quatre-vingt-onze. In American dialects, from humorous use of eleven to continue counting the eighties. === Adjective === eighty-eleven (not comparable) (informal, chiefly US, dialectical) Very many; too many to count; quite a lot. Synonyms: see Thesaurus:manifold (obsolete) Synonym of ninety-one. 1854, Percy Sadler, The Stepping Stone to French Pronunciation and Conversation..., p. 65: Q. Do not they go on saying "eighty-eleven" for "ninety-one," &c.? A. Yes, to ninety-nine. ==== Related terms ==== twenty-eleven, thirty-eleven, forty-eleven, fifty-eleven, sixty-eleven, seventy-eleven, ninety-eleven === References === “eleven, adj. & n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.