Green’s Dictionary of Slang

a very large amount, a great deal.

1890

19001950

2000

1890		Bird o’ Freedom 22 Jan. 2: [It] must at various times have cost tons of money.
1905		Marvel III:59 19: ‘Any shooting?’ ‘Heaps!’ ‘Fishing?’ ‘Tons!’.
1914		Sydney Sportsman (Surry Hills, NSW) 29 July 3/2: I will show you tons of cases / Where there’s gells upon the town.
1916		W. Pett Ridge Madame Prince 160: ‘Had she money?’ ‘Tons!’.
1922		Joyce Ulysses 707: And the bugs tons of them at night and the mosquito nets.
1938		G. Kersh Night and the City 125: Oh, he’s got tons [i.e. of money] [...] he’s a song-writer.
1946		(con. 1912) B. Marshall George Brown’s Schooldays 59: My people have got tons of tin.
1957		‘Nino Culotta’ They’re a Weird Mob (1958) 88: We got tons o’ room.
1961		B. Crump Hang On a Minute, Mate (1963) 111: Crawling with rich cockies in flash cars. Tons of dough round the place.
1978		L. Kramer Faggots 258: ‘You’ve been to Fire Island!’ ‘Tons.’ ‘You been to The Meat Rack?’ ‘Tons.’.
1989		M. Amis London Fields 120: Guy might drive for ever at a prudent thirty-five, with tons of gas.
1993		I. Welsh Trainspotting 11: Course she is. She’s telt us tons ay times.
2000		F. Mac Anna Cartoon City 3: Pat had gone to England to work on sites, earn money and ‘sleep with tons of women.’.