The OED attests the use of crapula or cropula in its sense of hangover as early as the 17th century.
Anthony Burgess uses the word frequently. At least twice in The Malayan Trilogy (aka The Long Day Wanes), as well as “crapulous”. Also in Tremor of Intent; twice in Honey for the Bears, and once in Nothing Like the Sun, if I recall correctly.
However, crapula is surprisingly missing from Earthly Powers, but we do find “uncrapulous”.
A. Bouazza
From: Vladimir Nabokov Forum [mailto:NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU] On Behalf Of NABOKV-L, English
Sent: zaterdag 27 april 2013 10:01
To: NABOKV-L@LISTSERV.UCSB.EDU
Subject: [NABOKV-L] Zemblan and digitized Samuel Johson (Crapula)
Barrie Akin writes:
As for "crapula" as an English word, there is an early instance of it. It is in Florio's Italian - English dictionary of 1611 as the English meaning of "crapola".
Florio's dictionary is also available on line. Amazing!
Florio appears as a minor character in Anthony Burgess's 'Nothing Like the Sun' (1964, from memory) and (again from memory) Burgess uses both 'crapula' and 'crapulous' in his works. I don't have immediate access to my copies of 'Nothing Like the Sun' and 'Earthly Powers' but those are the novels in which I recall Burgess uses them. There are probably others.
P.S. Apologies - it is late here in England and I have just realised that I have misread Florio.
He gives 'crapola' as a variant of 'crapula' and then defines 'crapula' without using any English variant of it. So 'crapula' appears in an English work in 1611, but only as a foreign word.
--
Susan Elizabeth Sweeney
Co-Editor, NABOKV-L
All private editorial communications are read by both co-editors.