subs. (colloquial).—(1) A subaltern; (2) a subordinate; (3) a subscription; (4) a subject; and (5) see quot. 1866. As verb (workmen’s) = to draw money in advance.
1838. WILLIAM WATTS (‘Lucian Redivivus’), Paradise Lost, 8.
| No longer was he heard to sing, | |
| Like loyal SUBS, ‘God save the king!’ |
1862. THACKERAY, The Adventures of Philip, xxvi. When we were SUBS together in camp in 1803.
1866. HARRIS [Evidence before Totness Election Commission]. The voters ask for SUB, which is the term used here for money, as sugar and paint are used elsewhere.
1887. W. E. HENLEY, Villon’s Good-Night, 2. You bleeding bonnets, pugs, and SUBS.
