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grub

UK/ɡɹʌb/ US/ɡɹʊb/ fairly common slang
noun (2) verb (2)

noun

1.
2.

a soft thick wormlike larva of certain beetles and other insects

verb

1.

ask for and get free; be a parasite

Synonyms
2.

Origin

From Middle English grubben, grobben, from Old English *grubbian, from Proto-West Germanic *grubb-, from Proto-Germanic *grubb- (compare Middle Dutch grobben (“to scrape, scramble, grab”), Old High German grubilōn (“to dig, search”), German grübeln (“to meditate, ponder”)), from Proto-Germanic *grub- (“to dig”) (see *grabaną). The noun sense of "larva" is from Middle English grub, grubbe, grobbe, crubbe and may derive from the notion of "digging insect" from the verb above, or from the uncertainly related Middle English grub (“dwarfish fellow”). Compare West Frisian krobbe (“beetle”). The slang sense of "food" is first recorded 1659, and has been linked with birds eating grubs or with bub (“drink”).

Phrases

  • bardee grub
  • bardi grub
  • bardy grub
  • cattle grub
  • curl grub
  • grass grub
  • grub along
  • grub and bub
  • grub hoe

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.