Alexander Schmidt, Shakespeare Lexicon and Quotation Dictionary

Long, adj. opposed to short, extended; used of space: “fetlocks shag and l.” Ven. 295. “l. heath,” Tp. I, 1, 70. “I have no l. spoon,” II, 2, 103; cf. Err. IV, 3, 62. Err. IV, 3, 62 “my l. nails,” Tp. II, 2, 172. “the way is l.” Gent. II, 7, 8. V, 2, 4. Wiv. II, 1, 236; cf. Rom. I, 1, 82. Err. IV, 4, 30. Mids. V, 63. Mids. V, 63. IV, 2, 97. Ant. III, 3, 32 etc. As a relative term: “a cloak as l.” Gent. III, 1, 131. Preceded by an accus. denoting a measure: “ten words l.” Mids. V, 61. “tricks eleven and twenty l.” Shr. IV, 2, 57. Substantively: this l. 's the text, Per. II Prol. 40 (i. e. so long, or thus l., is what I have to recite. Ff thus l.).
Used of time: “after l. sleep,” Tp. III, 2, 148. “l. continuance,” IV, 1, 107. “l. life,” IV, 1, 24. “the --est night,” Gent. IV, 2, 140. Wiv. IV, 5, 105. Meas. II, 1, 140. III, 1, 256. Err. I, 2, 15. Ado II, 1, 52; cf. John IV, 1, 18. Shr. I, 2, 193. Tw. III, 3, 21. Rom. I, 5, 16 etc. etc. “a l. time,” H8 I, 3, 45. l. time (without the article): R2 II, 1, 77. H6A II, 3, 36. Ant. II, 5, 25. “a hundred mark is a l. one for a poor lone woman,” H4B II, 1, 35 (see One). to think l. == to expect with impatience: “but l. she thinks till he return again,” Lucr. 1359. “have I thought l. to see this morning's face,” Rom. IV, 5, 41. the short and the l. == the whole in few words; in short, in a word: “he loves your wife; there's the short and the l.” Wiv. II, 1, 137. “this is the short and the l. of it,” II, 2, 60. “the short and the l. is, our play is preferred,” Mids. IV, 2, 39. Merch. II, 2, 135. Captain Jamy says “the breff and the l.” H5 III, 2, 126. before it be long, and ere it be long, == shortly: H6C IV, 6, 91. Meas. IV, 2, 79. H6A III, 2, 75. H6C III, 3, 232 (ere l., see Ere). Uncertain, whether adj. or adv.: “to teach my tongue to be so l.” Pilgr. 350 (== so long talking; cf. Long-tongued). cf. “I'll not be l. before I call upon thee,” Wint. III, 3, 8. “though they be l. ere they are wooed,” Troil. III, 2, 118. “my lord is very l. in talk,” H6A I, 2, 118. “be not so l. to speak,” Rom. IV, 1, 66 (== be not so long silent); cf. “you're l. about it,” Cor. I, 1, 131. Substantively: for l. == a long time: Meas. I, 4, 63.