Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(orig. US) very many, a large number.

1916		J. Lait ‘Canada Kid’ in Beef, Iron and Wine (1917) 151: A lotta judges is tryin’ to copper the lowdown on the bad boy problem.
1923		T.A. Dorgan in Zwilling TAD Lex. (1993) 16: The noive of that egg ringin’ up the boss to tell him how lonesome he is. That’s a lotta balogne.
1938		G. Kersh Night and the City 35: Hold that tiger, hold that tiger, hold that tiger [...] a lotta crap.
1944		D. Burley Orig. Hbk of Harlem Jive 19: A lotta grays and some ungroovy spooks, for that matter, are going to get conked up.
1954		Wild One [film script] We had a lotta yaks, huh, Johnny?
1968		N. Heard Howard Street 137: You got a lotta chick there [...] I know a lotta studs be in heaven if they could pull.
1979		E. Torres After Hours 171: Lotta [hoodlum] buffs like that. Wops [...] scoop them up.
1980		E. Folb Runnin’ Down Some Lines 92: We don’t play d’ momma’s dozen too much. That starts confusion. [...] A lotta confusion, a lotta fightin’. Don’ shoot on d’ moms less’n you fittin’ to fight.
1999		W. Mosley Walkin’ the Dog 193: A lotta men spend a whole lotta time tryin’ to get what they want from you. But how many’a them gonna get off the dime and do for you?
2000		J.J. Connolly Layer Cake 109: They just want the same as your very good self: lotta dollar, peace and quiet.