shab, v. — Green’s Dictionary of Slang

shab v.

to cheat, to deceive, to act in an underhand manner.

1755

Johnson Dict. Eng. Lang. (1785) n.p.: To Shab v.n., to play mean tricks; a low barbarous cant word.

shab off (v.)

1. to cheat someone, then to dismiss them without apology or explanation.

1699		Farquhar Love and a Bottle IV iii: I have shabb’d him off purely.
1835		W. Otter Hist. of My Own Times (1995) 114: [He] told me to take him to my house and keep him till the next morning; thinking no doubt to shab me off in that way.

2. (also shab out) to sneak away.

c.1698		B.E. Dict. Canting Crew n.p.: Shab’d-off sneakt, or slid away.
1725		New Canting Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1737, 1759, 1760, 1776		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict. [as cit. c.1698].
1912		R.W. Brown ‘Word-List From Western Indiana’ in DN III:viii 589: shab out, v. To sneak away; to clear out. ‘After he saw they were in trouble, he shabbed out.’.
1947		Western Times 10 Jan. 4/5: ‘Shab off, you men-volk; us can manage very nice without ’ee’.