Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. a landlord, a publican.

1823		Egan Grose’s Classical Dict. of the Vulgar Tongue n.p.: Mr. Waste-butt, the publican; it is observed of most men when they commence publicans, from their habit of drinking with their customers in general, all sorts of liquors, that ‘they are little better than waste-butts.’.
1823		Sussex Advertiser 30 June 3/5: The poor might have some good small beer from that waste butt called — Overseer.
1844		W. Kent Guardian 26 Oct. 4/1: The guttlers’ waste butt [...] familiar with the customs of the ‘tap.’ His language smacks of pewter.

2. a drunkard; also as adj.

1821		‘A Real Paddy’ Real Life in Ireland 195: Brian was half seas over [...] Swan was a complete waste butt.
1832		Egan Bk of Sports 7: The waste-butt sort of chap is entirely removed from the box; drinking at every inn quite exploded.
1843		Morn. Post 13 Dec. 7/6: The complainant called her a ‘drunken ould waste butt’.
1852		Morn. Post 5 June 7/4: A regular Waste Butt [...] So excessive was his thirst that he drank on average 19 gallons of ale each week.
1871		Era (London) 1 Jan. 7/6: He was occasionally hissed by the audience, many of whom also considered him a waste butt, able to hold any quantity of fluid.
1876		H.E. Malet Annals of the Road 82: [T]the waste butt sort of chap is entirely removed from the box, drinking at every inn quite exploded.

3. an eating-house.

1890–1904		Farmer & Henley Sl. and Its Analogues.
1902		H. Baumann Londinismen (2nd edn).

1. (US campus) a drunkard.

1984		Eble Campus Sl. Sept. 7: waste machine – someone who is always drunk.
1987		Eble Campus Sl. Oct. 7: waste case – drunkard.
1996		Eble Sl. and Sociability 42: The repetition of vowel sounds can be heard in [...] waste case ‘drunkard.’.

2. an outcast.

1991

D. Gaines Teenage Wasteland 67: People call you a waste case, a burnout, a dirt merchant.

the vagina.

1780		‘Earl of Funsborough’ Covent Garden Jester 53: A Plumber’s Bill [...] For work done to your Ladyship’s Water-closet. [...] To a man to go to the bottom – [£] 0 7 6 / Easing your ladyship’s waste pipe – [£] 0 2 6 / To a cock put in the front [£] 0 5 3 / To a double ball ditto – [£] 0 7 6.
1890–1904		Farmer & Henley Sl. and Its Analogues.
1896		Farmer Vocabula Amatoria (1966) 66: Citerne, f. The female pudendum; ‘the waste-pipe.’.

1. a general term of abuse.

1981

(con. 1963) P. Conroy Lords of Discipline 179: Rack that fucking chin in, waste-product.

2. (US campus) a drunkard.

1985		Eble Campus Sl. Oct.
1996		Eble Sl. and Sociability 44: Toxic waste dump and waste product are associated with the verb waste and become synonyms, along with wasted, for ‘drunk.’.