A quantity. A smart chance. A large quantity. See also RIGHT SMART.
1819. A considerable number is expressed by a smart chance; and our hostess at Madison said, there was “a smart chance of yankees” in that village.—David Thomas, ‘Travels,’ p. 230 (Auburn, N.Y.).
1833. “There ’s a smart chance of cigars there in the bar, stranger if you ’d try some of them,” said one of the hooshiers.—C. F. Hoffman, ‘A Winter in the Far West,’ i. 209 (Lond., 1835). (Italics in the original.)
1833. I thought I would somehow go and buy a smart chance of a nigger-boy to live with me, and help me along, in case I should get the rheumatism again.—J. K. Paulding, ‘The Banks of the Ohio,’ ii. 86 (Lond.).
1833. There was a right smart chance of sickness when she came into the settlement.—James Hall, ‘Legends of the West,’ p. 88 (Phila.).
1833. There ’s a powerful chance of the biggest bull-frogs you ever see, down in the slash yander.—The same, ‘The Harpe’s Head,’ p. 152 (Phila.).
1833. [As a veteran hunter remarked,] it took a powerful chance of truck, to feed such a heap of folks.—The same, ‘Legends of the West,’ p. 9.
1835. Mrs. B. Oh dear me, they gin’ her [the sick woman] a powerful chance o’ truck.—A. B. Longstreet, ‘Georgia Scenes,’ p. 211.
1836. See Appendix XXV.
1842. I consider you a very smart chance of a boy, I do indeed.—Phila. Spirit of the Times, Jan. 15.
1845. There’s a mighty chance of lawyers’ lies in the papers.—Cornelius Mathews, i. 140 (‘A Court Scene in Georgia’).
1846. ‘Mr. Douglass,’ she observed, ‘you have got a mighty small chance of legs there.’—W. T. Porter, ed., ‘A Quarter Race in Kentucky,’ etc., p. 55 (Phila.).
1849. He [the Georgian] strode a ‘right smart chance of a critter,’ that could n’t be beat in ‘them diggins,’ if you ’d believe him.—Knick. Mag., xxxiv. 113 (Aug.).
1851. Supposin’ you was after a bee-gum, and one of these big black bar was after you, and a smart chance of red skins were after the bar.—‘Polly Peablossom’s Wedding,’ &c., p. 103.
1851. [I had] a pretty smart chance of a stick at my fingers’ ends.—Id., p. 123.
1853. Such a powerful right smart chance of learning as you have.—Daily Morning Herald (St. Louis), April 11.
1855. [The place is] on the other road, and a smart roundabout chance to get to it.—W. G. Simms, ‘Border Beagles,’ p. 310 (N.Y.).
1855. We played at Manchester to a good smart chance of a house.—Id., p. 313.
1855. So out we goes to the paw-paw thicket, and pealed (sic) a right peart chance o’ bark.—Oregon Weekly Times, May 12.
