lay n.4
1. a piece, a portion, e.g. a lay of pannum, a piece of bread.
Life 49: We had a weighty lay of them that same evening. | ||
Life of Adventure 1 25: The pay was, by his account, most liberal—one hundred and fortieth ‘lay’ he called it; in other words, I was to receive a one hundred and fortieth part of all the oil made on the cruise . | ||
Sl. Dict. | ||
Up and Down 61: He offered me a ‘tenth lay,’ i.e. a tenth of the entire profits. |
2. goods.
Autobiog. 7: My want of knowledge of the flash kanes, where I might fence my snib’d lays. |