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.

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)