A butt load is an actual unit of measure. There are two different definitions... one dealing with a heavy cart and the other a wine cask. --
1) (obsolete, UK, West Country) A regional English measure of capacity of a heavy cart (a butt), containing 6 seams, or 48 bushels, equivalent to 384 gallons.
2) A butt is a cask that holds liquids, like a barrel. It could contain anywhere from 108 to 140 gallons (409 to 530 liters), which is indeed a lot. But it's probably not the origin of "buttload," as there don't seem to be any connections between a medieval barrel in Britain and the use of the term in late 20th-century America.
1) (obsolete, UK, West Country) A regional English measure of capacity of a heavy cart (a butt), containing 6 seams, or 48 bushels, equivalent to 384 gallons.
2) A butt is a cask that holds liquids, like a barrel. It could contain anywhere from 108 to 140 gallons (409 to 530 liters), which is indeed a lot. But it's probably not the origin of "buttload," as there don't seem to be any connections between a medieval barrel in Britain and the use of the term in late 20th-century America.
Comment