Alexander Schmidt, Shakespeare Lexicon and Quotation Dictionary

Foul, adj. the opposite of fair (q. v.) and often joined to it in contradistinction (f. i. Ven. 1030. Lucr. 412. Ado IV, 1, 104. LLL IV, 1, 23. H4B IV, 4, 104. H6C IV, 7, 14. Tim. III, 3, 32. IV, 3, 28. Mcb. I, 1, 11. I, 3, 38). 1) ugly: “hard-favoured, f.” Ven. 133. “beauty hath nought to do with such f. fiends,” Ven. 133 “the f. boar's conquest on her fair delight,” Ven. 133 “all they f. that thy complexion lack,” Sonn. 132, 14. “be she as f. as was Florentius' love,” Shr. I, 2, 69. Ado III, 1, 64. IV, 1, 104. LLL IV, 3, 87. As III, 3, 36. As III, 3, 36 III, 5, 62. Tw. III, 4, 130. John III, 1, 47. H4B IV, 4, 104. H5 IV Chor. H5 IV Chor. H5 IV Chor. R3 V, 1, 157. Tim. IV, 3, 28. Oth. II, 1, 141. Ant. I, 2, 76 etc.
2) filthy, dirty, muddy: “the f. lake o'erstunk their feet,” Tp. IV, 183. “the reasonable shore that now lies f. and muddy,” V, 82. “f. linen,” Wiv. III, 3, 139. H4B V, 1, 38. “shirts,” Wiv. III, 5, 91. “clothes,” Wiv. III, 5, 91 Wiv. III, 5, 91 “balm his f. head,” Shr. Ind. 1, 48. “a f. hill,” IV, 1, 69. “f. ways,” IV, 1, 2. H4A II, 1, 93. “your lips grow f.” LLL IV, 1, 139. “f. bogs,” H5 III, 7, 61. “it grows --er,” Ant. II, 7, 106. “the --est ditch,” IV, 6, 38 etc.
3) impure, polluted: “her f. tainted flesh,” Ado IV, 1, 145 (some M. Edd. foul-tainted). “and make f. the clearness of our deservings,” All's I, 3, 6. “the purest of their wives is f. as slander,” Oth. IV, 2, 19.
4) unsound, diseased, corrupted: “cleanse the f. body of the infected world,” As II, 7, 60. “the f. corruption of a sweet child's death,” John IV, 2, 81. “f. sin gathering head shall break into corruption,” R2 V, 1, 58. “you perceive the body of our kingdom, how f. it is,” H4B III, 1, 39. “f. disease,” Hml. IV, 1, 21. Lr. I, 1, 167.
5) not clear, cloudy, troubled, stormy: “gusts and f. flaws,” Ven. 456. “f. weather,” Ven. 456 Tp. II, 1, 141. As V, 4, 142. R2 III, 3, 161. H4A III, 1, 68. “yond same black cloud looks like a f. bombard,” Tp. II, 2, 21. “so f. a sky clears not without a storm,” John IV, 2, 108. “the f. and ugly mists,” H4A I, 2, 226. “so f. and fair a day,” Mcb. I, 3, 38. “f. and violent tempest,” Oth. II, 1, 34.
6) wicked: “like a f. usurper,” Lucr. 412. “f. nightwaking cat,” Lucr. 412 “wooing his purity with her f. pride,” Sonn. 144, 8. “the f. witch Sycorax,” Tp. I, 2, 258. “f. deed,” III, 3, 72. “that f. conspiracy,” IV, 139. “a f. fault,” Wiv. V, 5, 12 (quibbling). “answering one f. wrong,” Meas. II, 2, 103. Meas. II, 2, 103 II, 4, 113. II, 4, 113 III, 1, 213. H6A V, 4, 93. Tim. III, 3, 32. Lr. III, 4, 46. 52 etc. Oth. IV, 1, 213. Oth. IV, 1, 213 V, 2, 200. Ant. IV, 12, 10 etc. f. play == wicked proceeding, ill dealing: “what f. play had we that we came from thence?” Tp. I, 2, 60. Tp. I, 2, 60 “played f. play with our oaths,” LLL V, 2, 766. “I doubt some f. play,” Hml. I, 2, 256. “do me no f. play,” Lr. III, 7, 31. “by fair or f. means,” H6C IV, 7, 14.
7) disgraceful, derogatory, detractive “f. words and frowns must not repel a lover,” Ven. 573 Ado V, 2, 50. “his backward voice is to utter f. speeches,” Tp. II, 2, 96. “in f. mouth to call him villain,” Meas. V, 309. “that may with f. intrusion enter in and dwell upon your grave,” Err. III, 1, 103. “fair payment for f. words,” LLL IV, 1, 19; cf. LLL IV, 1, 19 “this f. derision,” Mids. III, 2, 197. “f. whisperings are abroad,” Mcb. V, 1, 79. “if you grow f. with me,” H5 II, 1, 59 (== if you use scornful language to me). “shall we fall f. for toys?” H4B II, 4, 183 (== quarrel; Pistol's speech). “and take f. scorn to fawn on him by sending,” H6A IV, 4, 35.
8) bad, in its widest sense: “some f. mischance,” Gentl. II, 2, 11. “'tis a f. thing when a cur cannot keep himself in all companies,” IV, 4, 11. “f. breath,” Ado V, 2, 53. “f. ways,” LLL V, 2, 926. “I am a f. way out,” Tw. II, 3, 201. “the --er fortune mine,” Shr. V, 2, 98. “f. shrewd news,” John V, 5, 14. “our --est wares,” Troil. I, 3, 359.
Adverbially: “ere I will see the crown so f. misplaced,” R3 III, 2, 44.