Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a great deal of, a lot of; usu. in combs. to form dismissive phr.; thus load of crap, load of old cobblers, load of old cods, load of old wank etc.

1709		‘Phoebe Crackenthorpe’ Female Tatler (1992) (1) 2: She’s horrid silly however, and not a bit genteel; but what a load of jewels she had on!
1887		‘’Arry on Law and Order’ in Punch 26 Nov. 249/2: To bonnet a load of old blokes and make petticoats squeal is good biz.
1890		C. Pearl in Blatchford Memoirs (1983) 107: The Government is a load of shit.
1929		C. Coe Hooch! 245: It’d be like askin’ fer a load o’ lead between the ribs!
1932		J.T. Farrell ‘A Practical Joke’ in Short Stories (1937) 186: I said sure, and started shooting her a load of crap about it.
1936		R. Chandler ‘Guns At Cyrano’s’ in Red Wind (1946) 198: Eyes in which there was a peculiar stare he had seen before. A load of dope.
1941		G. Kersh They Die with Their Boots Clean 87: Any idle skiver I catch will find himself with such a load o’ jankers he won’t know where he is.
1943		R. Llewellyn None But the Lonely Heart 283: Standing there like a load of cheese, waiting for it.
1958		F. Norman in Sun. Graphic 20 July in Norman’s London (1969) 19: He reckoned he sold a load of pig’s-ear.
1962		R. Cook Crust on its Uppers 20: Leaving a whole load of angst behind.
1965		L. Dunne Goodbye to The Hill (1966) 15: There was a right load of young ones living in the flats.
1967		M. Frayn Towards the End of Morning (2000) 177: I’m doing it for a load of crap called Leisure and Pleasure magazine.
1971		M. Novotny Kings Road 106: It’s a load of shit.
1977		(con. 1950s) Nicholson & Smith Spend, Spend, Spend (1978) 50: It was a load of balls to me.
1978		L.K. Truscott IV Dress Gray (1979) 296: He’s gonna catch a load of shit.
1979		F. Norman Too Many Crooks Spoil the Caper 73: He’d bunged me a load of old mallarky.
1989		M. Amis London Fields 164: Costume drama, thought Keith. Awful old load of old balls.
1999		Guardian 4 Oct. 6: I like to stir things up a little [...] Wait till they get a load of this.
1999		Guardian Rev. 17 Dec. 9: I didn’t want to come up with a sentimental load of old tosh.
1999		K. Sampson Powder 22: Reality today was a shockingly lucrative, highly embarrassing gig for a load of toffs in a tent in Hampshire.
2000		Guardian G2 2 Feb. 22: Load of rubbish, to be frank.
2000		Guardian Guide 12–18 Feb. 52: The Kray’s myth [...] is a load of old cobblers.
2000		Indep. on Sun. Real Life 9 Jan. 5: All a load of old bollocks.
2001		N. Barlay Hooky Gear 5: Rememberin a load of stuff make me laugh more.
2004		M. Heatley John Peel 30: Talking a load of codswallop.
2010		(con. 1973) C. Stella Johnny Porno 19: Some load of shit, that film detail.

2. see also under relevant n.