high-octane

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high-octane (comparative higher-octane, superlative highest-octane)

1. (of fuel) Having a high octane number, good anti-knock characteristics; used in high performance vehicles.

   Antonym: low-octane

   • 1982, Terry Hayes, George Miller, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, spoken by Max (Mel Gibson):

     Now, to do the job, I need some high-octane gasoline.

2. (by extension) High powered, energetic, forceful or dynamic.

   Antonym: low-octane

   • 2008 January–February, Matt Bean, “Your cultural calendar: 7 things to look forward to this year”, in Men's Health, volume 23, number 1, →ISSN, page 135:

     So what if the Greeks never had BMX bikes? This year's Olympic Games, which kick off August 8 in China, add high-octane competitions—BMX racing and open-water swimming—and include sports like table tennis taken to Olympian levels.

   • 2016 October 24, Owen Gibson, “Is the unthinkable happening – are people finally switching the football off?”, in The Guardian‎, London:

     Will the exponential growth in TV rights income at home and abroad that has fuelled the endless inflation of the Premier League’s high-octane balloon ever level off?

3. (of drinks) Highly intoxicating or caffeinated.
   • 2013, Josh Christie, Maine Beer: Brewing in Vacationland‎, Arcadia Publishing, →ISBN:

     There's no question that the high-octane beers of Marshall Wharf have had a massive influence on the breweries that have opened in Maine since 2007.

• Jonathon Green (2024) “high-octane adj.”, in Green’s Dictionary of Slang