Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a measure, usu. of alcohol, a dram.

1796		Watty and Meg 2: Mungo filled him up a toothful.
1819		‘One of the Fancy’ Tom Crib’s Memorial to Congress 21: Up he rose in a funk, lapp’d a toothful of brandy, / And to it again.
1828		‘Humours of Glasgow Fair’ [broadsheet ballad] Now Gibbie was wanting a toothfu’ / Says he ‘I’m right tir’d of the fun; / I say, lads d’ye think we’d be the waur o’ a mouthfu’ / Of guid nappie Yill and Bun’.
1838		‘Nights At Sea’ in Bentley’s Misc. Apr. 588: A jolly rampagerant ould blade as loves a toothfull o’ stuff, and a half-ounce chaw o’ pigtail as well as ever he did.
1841		‘Biddy Magee’ Dublin Comic Songster 338: I call’d for a naggin of the old ding dong, / Jist to give polish to the song [...] And the first toothful I gave, was to Biddy Magee.
1868		G.J. Whyte-Melville White Rose 191: Step round and take a toothful of something short to our better acquaintance.
1870		Mercury (Hobart) 23 Apr. 2/5: [from the Stranraer Free Press] [...] a bucket, a tastin’, a toothfu’, a cinder.
1880		Henley & Stevenson Deacon Brodie I tab.I iv: Hey, brandy! [...] Have a toothful, Mrs. Watt.
1881		Dundee Wkly News 3 Dec. 2/1: [of tobacco] ‘I’m fond o’ “snout” (tobacco) and I’ve got a pal as would like a toothful’’.
1899		‘Pot’ & ‘Swears’ Scarlet City 544: Charlie, come and mash me for a bit, my Johnny’s gone to get a toothful of moist.
1905		‘Doss Chiderdoss’ ‘Mother’s Duplicate’ Sporting Times 7 Jan. 1/4: It’s a very nice thing, ’pon my word, / If I can’t now and then ’ave a toothful o’ gin!
1911		E.J. Brady Tom Pagdin Pirate 53: They [i.e. other drinkers] hardly ever thought about bringing him a toothful, either.
1933		‘William Juniper’ True Drunkard’s Delight.
1941		P.C. Wren Uniform of Glory 44: He had a skinful, instead of a toothful.

2. in fig. use.

1917

Van Loan ‘Eliphaz, Late Fairfax’ in Old Man Curry 174: ‘Did you do pretty well, Franl?’ ‘I got a toothful.’.