Alexander Schmidt, Shakespeare Lexicon and Quotation Dictionary

Tall, 1) high in stature: how t. was she? About “my stature,” Gent. IV, 4, 162. “if t., a lance ill-headed; if low, an agate,” Ado III, 1, 64. “which is the greatest lady, the highest? The thickest and the --est,” LLL IV, 1, 47. “few --er are so young,” V, 2, 846. “the cowslips t. her pensioners be,” Mids. II, 1, 10. “her t. personage, her height,” III, 2, 292. As I, 2, 284 (M. Edd. smaller, or lesser, or lower). I, 3, 117. III, 5, 118. Tw. IV, 2, 7. H4B V, 1, 65. V, 3, 36. Ant. II, 5, 118. III, 3, 14. Applied to stockings, == long, high: “t. stockings, short blistered breeches,” H8 I, 3, 30.
2) large and strong, stout: “I am a worthless boat, he of t. building, and of goodly pride,” Sonn. 80, 12. “many a t. ship,” Merch. III, 1, 6. R2 II, 1, 286. Oth. II, 1, 79. “yond t. anchoring bark,” Lr. IV, 6, 18.
3) stout, sturdy, lusty, spirited (German tüchtig): “and carry back to Sicily much t. youth that else must perish here,” Ant. II, 6, 7. Except this passage, the word, in this sense, is either used with irony, as by Falstaff: “good soldiers and t. fellows,” Wiv. II, 2, 11; by Sir Toby: “he's as t. a man as any,” Tw. I, 3, 20; and by Percy: “which many a good t. fellow had destroyed,” H4A I, 3, 62; or with braggardism, as by Shallow: “I would have made you four t. fellows skip like rats,” Wiv. II, 1, 237; or ridiculed, as by Mercutio: “a very good blade! a very t. man!” Rom. II, 4, 31; or only put in the mouth of mean persons: “anon comes Pyramus, sweet youth and t.” Mids. V, 145 (in the play of Pyramus and Thisbe). “a --er man than I will take cold,” Shr. IV, 1, 11 (Grumio's speech). “thou'rt a t. fellow,” IV, 4, 17 (Tranio's speech). “Sir John Falstaff, a t. gentleman,” H4B III, 2, 67 (Bardolph's speech). “spoke like a t. fellow that respects his reputation,” R3 I, 4, 156 (the second murderer's speech). Pistol even says: “thy spirits are most t.” H5 II, 1, 72. As for the phrase a t. man of his hands (Wiv. I, 4, 26. Wint. V, 2, 177. Wint. V, 2, 177 Wint. V, 2, 177 185), employed by Simple and the clown, see Hand.