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locked and loaded

[ lokt uhn loh-did ]

adjective

  1. (of a firearm) loaded with ammunition and prepared for firing:

    They checked their equipment and found the rifles locked and loaded.

  2. ready for action:

    After so much practice, her throwing arm was locked and loaded for the match.



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Word History and Origins

Origin of locked and loaded1

First recorded in 1790–1800 as lock and load, used in the U.S. Army's 23-5 Basic Field manual: U.S. Rifle, Caliber .30, M1 (1940), and popularized by John Wayne in the film Sands of Iwo Jima (1949)

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Lockeanlocked bowels