different between buttload vs shitload

English

Alternative forms

• butt-load, butt load

Etymology

From butt +? load. Butt in this context may be possibly one or both of:

• butt (“large wooden cask”) (Etymology 3)
• butt (“two-wheeled cart”) (Etymology 5)

Alternatively, the term may either be a corruption of English boatload or have been influenced by that term (except for the specific, West Country dialect sense).

Pronunciation

Noun

buttload (plural buttloads)

1. (obsolete, Britain, 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. (dated, Britain, Southern US, New England) A large amount carried in a butt.

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

3. (by extension, mildly vulgar, slang) Any large but unspecific amount.

Synonyms

See synonyms at shitload § Synonyms.

Related terms

• assload (“amount carried by a donkey or any large, unspecified amount”), cartload (“amount carried by a cart or any large, unspecified amount”), and Category:English words derived from: load (noun)

See also

• tun (of wine or beer, contains two butts)
• pipe (of wine or beer, is 126 gallons or one butt)
• hogshead (of wine or beer, one-half butt)
• barrel (of wine or beer, one-quarter butt)
• ton
• cask
• keg

English

Alternative forms

• shit load, shit-load

Etymology

shit (large amount) +? -load

Pronunciation

Noun

shitload (plural shitloads)

1. (vulgar, slang) A large amount.
   • 1980, Robert Zemeckis & Bob Gale, Used Cars

     Roy Fuchs’ Assistant: I just heard there's a shitload of used cars coming this way.

Synonyms

• (an unspecific but large amount): arseload (vulgar), assload (vulgar), buttload (mildly vulgar), crapload (vulgar), fuckload (vulgar), fuckton (vulgar), metric shitload (vulgar), shedload (euphemistic), shitful (vulgar), shit-ton or shitton (vulgar)
• See Thesaurus:lot

Related terms

• Category:English words derived from: load (noun)

Translations