Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. dynamic, high-powered.

1973		L. Shecter On the Pad 2376: Phillips’ high-octane testimony.
1980		Maclean’s (Toronto) 11 Feb. 22: Last year’s high-octane effort to woo workers had only limited success [HDAS].
1985		Calif. Feb. 36: Sustained, high-octane acting is beyond him [HDAS].
2002		Anchorage Daily News 🌐 Nugent’s profane, high-octane politics stoked the crowd, which came back with hoots, laughs and even an ‘Amen!’.

2. of alcohol and drugs, highly intoxicating.

1996–2002		BeerAdvocate 🌐 High octane brew, aimed for people that want a quick and ugly buzz.
1997		J. Birmingham Tasmanian Babes Fiasco (1998) 181: Gobbling down fistfuls of high octane drugs.
1997		Sonoma County Indep. 2–8 Oct. 🌐 Often referred to on the street as ‘liquid crack,’ malt liquor is the dregs of American brews. [...] Even beer industry papers refer to malt liquor as ‘high octane’.

3. of coffee, strong, highly caffeinated.

1993		T. Hillerman Sacred Clowns 77: I’m out of decaf. And you shouldn’t be drinking the high octane stuff this late.
1995–2002		Phila. City Paper 🌐 The variety of high-octane coffee drinks can be fun for a rush.