What it means
Loaded pulls double duty in slang, and the situation tells you which lane it's in. If someone's loaded, they might be rich, proper swimming in cash. Or they might be loaded on booze or drugs, meaning seriously drunk or high. Same word, two wildly different flavours of chaos.
Usage examples
"Dave turns up in a new motor, buys a round, then starts hugging the fruit machine. He’s loaded, either minted or three pints past sense."
"Ever since the business took off they've been properly loaded, second home and all."
"He acts loaded with the flashy watch, but he still borrows a fiver for the bus."
"He said he's too skint for takeaway, then rolled up in a new BMW. Yeah right, he's loaded."
"By midnight Connor was absolutely loaded and telling the bouncer he loved him like a brother."
Where it comes from
Loaded comes from the older English idea of being filled up or carrying a load. That literal sense drifted into figurative ones centuries ago. Someone could be loaded with money or loaded with drink, and slang kept both branches alive, so the word still flips between rich and intoxicated depending on context.
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