Green’s Dictionary of Slang

bub n.¹

drink, esp. strong beer; thus bub and grub, drink and food.

a.1661		‘The Brewer’ Rump Poems & Songs (1662) I 339: Let’s leave off singing and drink off our Bub.
1672		‘The Bathing Girles’ in Ebsworth Westminster Drolleries (1875) II 101: They [...] took away their Smocks, and both their Wallets too, Which brought their good Bubb, and left them in pittiful case.
1696		Motteux (trans.) Gargantua and Pantagruel (1927) II Bk V 520: Drink on sirs, whip it away [...] fear not we should ever want good bub, and bellytimber.
1719		A. Smith Lives of Most Notorious Highway-men, etc. (1926) 203: Bub, drink. Rum-bub, very good tipple.
1720		in D’Urfey Pills to Purge Melancholy VI 278: We’ll broach a Tub of humming Bub.
1737		Bailey Universal Etym. Eng. Dict.
1744		Machine 2: Ye that with Attorney’s Clerks regale / O’er humble Bub, Sheep’s Heart, or bottl’d Ale.
1760		‘The Little Giant’ Giant of Morpeth’s Garland 2: And every Day he still contriv’d / to fill his Graceless Belly; / Of good strong Bubb, he’d drink a Tubb.
1772		Bridges Burlesque Homer (3rd edn) 477: Both men of note for sucking bub.
1781–2		J. Messink Choice of Harlequin I viii: I think my flashy coachman, that you’ll take better care, / Nor for a little bub come the slang upon your fare.
a.1790		C. Dibdin ‘Jack in his Element’ Collection of Songs II 65: We works, and loves, and fights the foe / And drinks the generous bub.
c.1800		Song No. 25 Papers of Francis Place (1819) n.p.: I pray you now send me some bub.
1812		Vaux Vocab. of the Flash Lang.
1821		‘An Amateur’ Real Life in London I 316: He knew the trick, and was up the moment the chap came into the Cock and Hen Club, where he was tucking in his grub and bub.
1825		Egan Life of an Actor 125: There, my fine fellow, that will keep you in bub and grub.
1827		J. Wight More Mornings in Bow St. 9: Humming bub and chilly grub of all sorts.
1829		‘Pickpocket’s Chaunt’ (trans. of ‘En roulant de vergne en vergne’) in Vidocq IV 260: I pattered in flash, like a covey knowing [...] ‘Bubby or grubbery, Miss, I say.’.
1836		W.H. Smith ‘The Thieves’s Chaunt’ in Farmer Musa Pedestris (1896) 121: A Norfolk capon is jolly grub / When you wash it down with strength of bub.
1839		(con. 1715) W.H. Ainsworth Jack Sheppard (1917) 120: Many a mug o’ bubb have I drained wi’ the landlord.
1843		W.L. Rede Our Village I i: Sam’s brought lots of bub and grub.
1853		Bell’s Life in Sydney 16 Apr. 2/7: Here miladi is maintenace [sic] for bub and grub for a fortnight.
1855		‘Pat & his Cat’ Diprose’s Comic Song Book 36: Paddy O’Neil [...] In defiance of tempting by gold, bub or grub, / Wint and pledg’d his bold word to a Prostestant Club.
1867		W.H. Smyth Sailor’s Word-Bk (1991) 139: Bub. A liquor or drink. Bub and grub meaning inversely meat and drink.
1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.
1881		Newcastle Courant 2 Dec. 6/5: He mayn’t have taken his bub.
1889–90		Barrère & Leland Dict. of Sl., Jargon and Cant.
1890–1904		Farmer & Henley Sl. and Its Analogues.
1895		Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 12: Bub, drink [...] Bub and Grub, drink and food.
1897		Jewish Sth (Richmond, VA) 16 Apr. 2/2: They proceeded [...] to refresh themselves with the sprightly Mrs Hanniver’s stimulating bub.

In derivatives

bubby (adj.)

tipsy, drunk.

1654

New Brawle 4: [O]r else [she] comes home as Bubby as a Tub-woman.

In compounds

In phrases

knock about the bub (v.)

to circulate the bottle, to pass the drink around.

1781		G. Parker View of Society I 212: They went away seemingly very well satisfied, leaving master and man knocking about .
1859, 1860		Hotten Dict. of Modern Sl. etc.
1864, 1867, 1870		Hotten Sl. Dict.
1873		Sl. Dict.
1895		Crowe Aus. Sl. Dict. 42: Knock about the Bub, pass round the drink.