buttload

plural buttloads · alternative butt-load · alternative butt load

1. UKWest CountryobsoleteA regional English measure of capacity of a heavy cart (a butt), containing 6 seams, or 48 bushels, equivalent to 384 gallons.

   BUTT LOAD: about six seams.

   1796, William Marshall, “Provincialisms of West Devonshire”, in The Rural Economy of the West of England, volume 1, page 324

   2 more examples

   The farmers near the fishing towns in the same district [Cornwall] likewise buy the refuse of bruised and small pilchards, which are rejected as unfit for curing or the market, and are called caff, four cart-loads of twelve bushels each being considered as the quantity proper for an acre. […] The butt-load formerly cost about 9s. or 10s. but they now fetch 15s. or 20s. the load.

   1819, Abraham Rees, The Cyclopaedia, volume 31, Salting

   The different kinds of manure usually employed in this neighbourhood are sea-weed, sand, stable-dung, ashes, and fish-dung. The quantities vary so much according to the condition of the land and other circumstances that it is impossible to state with any degree of accuracy what quantity is applied to the acre. In one of the conditions of leases previously quoted, it is stipulated that 10 butt-loads of good town or fish dung, and 10 butt-loads of sea-sand (to be mixed with the necessary quantity of earth) shall be carried for every acre broken up for tillage.

   1839 July 28, Richard Edmonds, “A Statistical Account of the Parish of Madron, containing the Borough of Penzance, in Cornwall”, in Quarterly Journal of the Statistical Society of London, volume 2, page 211

   Synonyms: buttful

2. New EnglandSouthern USUKdatedA large amount carried in a butt.

   We spent all day Sunday and picked up a buttload of pecans.

3. broadlymildlyslangvulgarAny large but unspecific amount.

   "Yeah, there's, like, a buttload of gangs at this school."

   2005, Napoleon Dynamite: The Complete Quote Book, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 67

   2 more examples

   You can collect a metric buttload of data about user activity on your site without too much effort.

   1999, Philip Greenspun, Philip and Alex's Guide to Web Publishing, page 267

   Anyway, they are paying me a buttload of money to do this series, and I want to share my good fortune with you and that's that.

   2004, Theresa Alan, Spur of the Moment, page 264

   Synonyms: assload, shitload, boatload, cartload, shedload, abundance, battalion, arseload