load, v. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

load v.

1. in context of drink or drugs [load n. (1)].

(a) to ply someone with drink.

1897

‘Mark Twain’ Tom Sawyer, Detective 30: We loaded him till he fell out of his chair and laid there snoring.

(b) (drugs) to take drugs.

1960		H. Huncke ‘Cosanyl’ in Huncke Reader (1998) 317: The first night I loaded myself on Tuanol [sic] – that is the first night I cut myself off completely from Coanyl.
2010		K. Richards Life 322: I loaded up well before we got on the plane, because I would go straight into cold turkey by the time I arrived.

2. (US) to lie, to deceive.

1883		implied in load up
1906		J.W. Carr ‘Words from Northwest Arkansas’ in DN III:ii 145: load, v. To deceive or intimidate by a hint, to convey unpleasant information by insinuation. ‘He just loaded them.’.
1948		N. Nye Breed of the Chaparral (1949) 34: I’m afraid someone’s been loadin’ you, Lou.
1953		Randolph & Wilson Down in the Holler 262: load: v.t. To deceive with a windy or a tall tale.

3. (US campus) to prepare for an emergency, eg an exam.

1900

E.H. Babbitt ‘College Words and Phrases’ in DN II:i 45: load, v. To prepare for an emergency, as for examination.

4. (gambling) to tamper with dice to achieve a desired throw.

1938		H. Asbury Sucker’s Progress 42: Loaded dice were called ‘dispatches’ and ‘dispatchers’ then as now, and to prepare them thus for cheating was to ‘plumb the bones’ or ‘load the doctors’.
1975		E. Torres Carlito’s Way 79: These fuckin’ wops, they ain’t satisfied with loading the dice, they got to stick you up after the game too.

5. (Aus. Und.) of police, to plant false evidence.

1993

Smith & Noble Neddy (1998) 104: I took very little notice of them as I was assured that they would not load me [plant evidence such as drugs] by two friendly police. [Ibid.] 205: The cunt will spear one of the younger guys in to load you.

6. (Aus.) to blame, to scapegoat.

2005

P. Temple Broken Shore (2007) [ebook] ‘So the idea is to load the other ranks?’ ‘The commissioner’s decision, Joe’.

In phrases

load up (v.)

1. to get drunk, to use a drug; also as load up on a drink or drug.

1841		Flash (NY) 31 Oct. n.p.: [A]t about four in the afternoon [...] they commence ‘loading up,’ as they call the operation of rum-bibbing.
1885		Bulletin (Sydney) 15 Aug. 24/4: Melbourne city watchhouse is getting to be no fit place for a respectable inebriate. Time was when a man could load up merrily, satisfied with the assurance of a select compartment and the all-sufficient shake-down, when his legs threw up their billet, and the sonorous hic-cup nigh jerked his jaw off.
1898		Sun. Inter Ocean (Chicago) 6 Mar. 33/4: One day Absalom he done load up on ’simmon beeuh an’ peach an’ honey [...] wine.
1919		C.S. Montanye ‘White as Snow’ in Detective Story 18 Feb. 🌐 I’ve got a couple of friends in town who want to load up on the stuff [i.e. ‘snow’].
1930		J. Tully Shadows of Men 199: Then I loads up on heroin.
1940		W.R. Burnett High Sierra in Four Novels (1984) 359: He [...] drank three straight whiskies in quick succession. The bartender stared at him, then laughed, ‘That’s what I call loading up.’.
1951		(con. 1930s) S. Longstreet Pedlocks (1971) 346: Peter loaded up on juleps and Bourbon.
1966		H.S. Thompson Hell’s Angels (1967) 223: A righteous Angel loading up on a run will consume almost anything.
1989		P. Munro Sl. U. 123: John always loads up before he goes to fraternity parties.
1992		M. Leyner Et Tu, Babe (1993) 10: I’m loading up on Winstrol, the steroid that got sprinter Ben Johnson disqualified from the 1988 Olympic Games.

2. to provide with drink.

1885

Bulletin (Sydney) 4 Jul. 18/4: [They took] not one single drop of rum. […] [We] are sure that both the Russians and the Afghans would have viewed the arrival of rum in the light of a happy relief. It is evident that, as extensive as Sir Peter’s cellar was, his ‘loading up’ of the two nations failed to keep them in good humour.

3. (US) to provide with false information.

1883

‘Mark Twain’ Life on the Mississippi (1914) 229: The pilot warmed to his opportunity, and proceeded to load me up in the good old-fashioned way.

4. to eat heartily.

1885		Bulletin (Sydney) 14 Mar. 12/4: When ‘light refreshments’ were mooted […] several of the staff pleaded prior engagements, and flocked over to Deeble’s. ‘We can load up here,’ they said, ‘until the man tells us to give someone else a chance; but there is something too terribly vague in “light refreshments” to tempt us.’ After 20 minutes hard munching they emerged into the street masked with mustard.
1953		T. Runyon In For Life 149: Load up Tommy [...] Do you want a steak? Fill up, Boy.
1990		J. Wambaugh Golden Orange (1991) 48: A lot of happy Mexican busboys and dishwashers who later loaded up on leftovers.
2000		P. Howard Miseducation of Ross O’Carroll-Kelly (2004) 33: I’m in the kitchen [...] loading up on the old, I don’t know, carbohydrates.

5. (Aus./N.Z.) to infect with venereal disease.

1954		(con. 1940s) E. Lambert Veterans 14: ‘Not bad!’ I said. ‘I’d do a line with her,’ he remarked thoughtfully. ‘If I could be sure some Yank hadn’t been there first. Half of ’em are loaded up.’.
1993		G. Simes DAUS 134/2: Load up, to infect with a sexually transmitted disease.

6. (Aus. prison) to incriminate through perjured evidence.

1990		Tupper & Wortley Aus. Prison Sl. Gloss. 🌐 Load. 1. To falsely incriminate. Thus ‘to be loaded up’ is to be framed.
2005		M.B. ‘Chopper’ Read Chopper 4 130: I find it impossible that Lockwood and Avon were incapable [...] of laying their hands on a real handgun or sawn-off shotgun to load up Abdallah.