selling loads
n.— «Cab rides in New Orleans aren’t even cheap, thanks to factors ranging from the high cost of cab leases to the unsavory practice of hotel employees “selling loads” to cabbies. “Just to get an airport load at a hotel, you’ve got to pay the bellman.”» —“Taxis stuck in wheels of graft” by Gordon Russell Times-Picayune (New Orleans, La.) July 28, 2002. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Secret signals on the job: Waitresses at some 19th-century restaurants ensured speedy drink service by communicating with a non-verbal code. One server took orders, then placed each customer’s cup to indicate exactly what the customer wanted...
Emily from New Orleans, Louisiana, wonders about the expression Holy cow! to indicate surprise or delight. It’s one of many minced oaths, in this case a replacement for the stronger exclamation, Holy Christ! These euphemistic expressions, such...