lock and load

English

Etymology

• The most common theory traces this order to the operation of the M1 Garand rifle. Before loading the ammunition clip into the rifle, the operating rod handle is pulled to the rear until the bolt is securely locked open. According to the M1 Garand Manual, loading the clip without first locking the bolt could result in an accidental discharge of a round. In the 1943 training film (Rifle Marksmanship with M1 Rifle) the instructor orders first "Lock" then "Load".
• A transposition of "load and lock" - to load the ammunition clip into the rifle, then to lock the bolt forward (which forces a round into the chamber, readying a rifle for firing).
• The use of flintlock rifles, which required the hammer to be locked back at the half-cock position before placing primer in the pan.
• Alternatively, a Sporting Magazine from 1821 had the complete flintlock expression as "brush the dirt away from the lock, and load ...".[1]
• From artillery usage: to 'lock' a gun into firing position before loading.
• The M2 Browning .50 Caliber Machine Gun, which started manufacture just prior to the end of WWI. The operating instructions for the M2 - were to lock the bolt latch release with the bolt latch release lock (located on the recoil buffer) before loading the gun by cycling the cocking handle. If you do not lock the bolt latch release before loading, the bolt is captured to the rear by the bolt latch, as for single shot operation, and does not actually load a round. While many people falsely attribute "lock and load" to the Garand, the M2 machine gun (and "lock and load") predates the Garand by over 20 years.^{reference needed}

Verb

to lock and load

1. (US) A slang military command to prepare weapons for battle. No US weapon includes "lock and load" as one of the commands related to that weapon, nor is it a recognized range command.
   • 1949 — John Wayne in the film Sands of Iwo Jima

     Lock and load, boy, lock and load.

2. (slang) To prepare for an imminent event.

References

• M1 Garand Manual from Springfield Armory
• Wordorigins references back to the Spanish American War
• Search Google for "lock and load" As of September 20, 2009 there were about 345,000 hits for "Lock and load" on Google.