Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. to travel by cab; often as cab it.

1836–7		Dickens Pickwick Papers (1999) 290: ‘He’s a-cabbin’ it, I suppose?’ said the father.
1855		Bell’s Life in Sydney 26 May 2/7: he also stated that the big fireman had been cabbing it all day, with a couple of girls.
1885		Bulletin (Sydney) 11 Apr. 6/4: I started in a ’bus, but as a man got in with an American accent and a blank Gladstone bag, I cautiously alighted, and, being too ‘stoney’ to cab it, I […] walked.
1888–94		‘Walter’ My Secret Life (1966) VII 1374: She was capricious, and at times even would now not cab with me.
1892		in Punch 26 Nov. 242: [cartoon caption] A CABBIN’ IT COUNCIL IN NOVEMBER.
1902		E. Fisher ‘Sick Cab Rider‘ in Bulletin Reciter n.p.: In the days of old lang syne, / When didn’t ‘cab it’ home until the sun began .
1915		‘Doss Chiderdoss’ ‘Habits’ Sporting Times 16 Jan. 1/2: She ignores the rail, and scorns to ’bus or cab it.
1935		M. Fulcher ‘Believe Me’ in Afro-American (Baltimore, MD) 16 Feb. 12/3: We must cab to the prom.
1955		B. Appel Tough Guy [ebook] They cabbed over to the Hotel Berkeley.
1999		J. Cameron Brown Bread in Wengen [ebook] I cabbed it up fucking Chingford on my tod.
2000		N. Barlay Crumple Zone 29: I should’ve turned round there and then and cabbed it home.
2005		E. Weiner Big Boat to Bye-Bye 30: [We] cabbed it over to where we now stood.
2014		K. Garvey ThugLit July [ebook] We cabbed it to midown.

2. to drive a cab; thus cabbing, working as a cab-driver.

1984

‘Derek Raymond’ He Died with His Eyes Open 87: The tortured points in the course of his life that had led him to cabbing a rusty old Maxi five nights a week.