1621. B. Jonson, Maske of Gipsies. Male gypsies all, not a mort among them.
1622. Beaumont and Fletcher, Beggar's Bush, ii. 1. Each man shall eat his own stol'n eggs and butter In his own shade, or sun-shine, and enjoy His own dear dell, doxy, or mort at night.
1640. Wit's Recr. [Hotten], 441. And for the Rome-morts . . . They are of the sorts That love the true sports.
1656. Muses Recr. [Hotten], 48. A Lord of this land that lov'd a Bum well, Did lie with this Mort one night in the Strummel.
1690. B. E., Dict. Cant. Crew, s.v. Morts. . . . Yeoman's daughters; also a Wife, Woman, or Wench.
1712. T. Shirley, The Triumph of Wit, 'The Maunder's Praise of His Strowling Mort.' Doxy oh! thy glaziers shine, As Glimmar by the Salomon, No gentry-mort hath parts like thine, No Cove e'er wap'd with such a one.
1785. Grose, Vulg. Tongue, s.v. Mort. A woman or wench; also a yeoman's daughter.
1811. Lex. Bal., s.v.
1822. Scott, Fortunes of Nigel, ch. xvii. 'Tour out,' said the one ruffian to the other; 'tour the bien mort twiring at the gentry cove.'
1834. H. Ainsworth, Rookwood, bk. III. ch. v. Morts, autem-morts, walking morts, dells, doxies, with all the shades and grades of the canting crew, were assembled.
1837. Disraeli, Venetia, ch. xiv. Tip me the clank like a dimber mort, as you are.
1859. Matsell, Vocabulum, s.v.
1885. Burton, Arabian Nights, iii. 302. Nor mott nor maid from thee my heart shall spell.
2. (colloquial).—A large quantity; a great number.
1694. Plautus made English [Nares]. Then they had a mort of prisoners, with boys and girls.
1740. Richardson, Pamela [quoted by Halliwell]. He gave her a mort of good things at the same time, and bid her wear them in remembrance of her good friend, my lady, his mother.
1775. Sheridan, Rivals, i. 1. Here's a mort o' merry-making, hey?
d. 1823. Bloomfield, The Horkey. And sitch a mort of folks began To eat up the good cheer.
All amort. See Amort.
Mortal, adj. (vulgar).—1. Extreme.
Cf. Awful, jolly, etc.
1679. Dryden, Ovid, i. 733. The nymph grew pale, and in a mortal fright.
d. 1704. Lestrange [quoted by Johnson]. The birds were in a mortal apprehension of the beetles, till the sparrow reasoned them into understanding.
2. (common).—See quot. 1808. For synonyms see Drinks and Screwed.
1808-25. Jamieson, Dict., s.v. Mortal, . . . dead drunk.
1889. Stevenson and Osbourne, The Wrong Box, vi. His men were all as mortal as himself.
3. (colloquial).—Expletive and intensitive.
1755. Johnson, Eng. Dict., s.v. Mortal. Extreme, violent. A low word. Ibid. Mortally . . . a low ludicrous word.
d. 1832. Scott [quoted in Century]. Six mortal hours did I endure her loquacity.
1837. Dickens, Oliver Twist, xviii. Forty-two mortal long hard-working days.
1852. Dickens, Bleak House, xiv. I go there a mortal sight of times.
1878. Stevenson, Inland Voyage, 255. They performed a piece . . . in five mortal acts.
Adv. (colloquial).—Extremely. Also Mortally.
1625. Bacon, Essays, 'Of Envy.' 'Adrian the Emperour mortally envied poets and painters.'
d. 1735. Granville [quoted by Johnson]. Know all, who would pretend to my good grace, I mortally dislike a damning face.
1838. D. Jerrold, Men of Character, iii. I was mortal certain I should find him here.
1840. Haliburton, Sam Slick, 3, Ser. 102. It was a mortal hot day, and people actually sweated to that degree it laid the dust.
