Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. carrying a weapon.

1955		B. Hill Boss of Britain’s Underworld 158: And they had to come along all tooled up, just in case there was any bother.
1959		Observer 1 Mar. [DSUE].
1974		G.F. Newman You Flash Bastard 50: The area beyond was in darkness, and he had no intention of entering in case the felon was tooled-up.
1989		(con. 1950s–60s) in G. Tremlett Little Legs 161: Now, I was tooled up; and I mean, tooled up.
1992		A. Duff One Night Out Stealing 193: [T]oo many of the cunts, man [...] tooled up too: iron bars, blades, the fuckin works.
1995		B. James Detective is Dead (1996) 187: No court would swallow we were tooled up and on the spot by accident.
1998		P. Doyle (con. late 1950s) Amaze Your Friends (2019) 120: ‘You better get tooled up if he’s got it in for you’.
2007		Guardian 25 Aug. 🌐 Lads are slightly hesitant when a car pulls up and they don’t recognise it. They could be tooled up and they could be after you.
2007		N. ‘Razor’ Smith Raiders 56: The action merchants [...] got tooled up.
2010		K. Richards Life 281: They were pretty tooled up - the cut-off pool sticks, and they were all carrying knives.
2018		Guardian 2 Jan. 🌐 Going out with a knife means intent to commit murder. [...] The fact that you go tooled up, but lack the good fortune to find a victim is irrelevant.
2019		A. Parks February’s Son 254: Anything would be better than a free-for-all with a room full of tooled-up hard men.
2024		J. Meades Empty Wigs (t/s) 116: The heavily tooled up, totally blocked and stupidly reckless will still chance their arm.

2. carrying housebreaking implements.

1977

D. Powis Signs of Crime 205: Tooled up [...] in possession of housebreaking implements.

3. in fig. use, kitted out with something.

2000

Indep. Rev. 14 Mar. 1: Be aware that bookies are now tooled-up with forged-note detector pens, laptop computers and constant ear-piece communications.