Green’s Dictionary of Slang

food; a meal.

1841		in J. Blassingame Slave Testimony (1977) 41: They love us and Comforted our apretites [sic] gave plenty eats.
1889–90		Barrère & Leland Dict. of Sl., Jargon and Cant.
1899		W.J. Kountz Billy Baxter’s Letters 79: We then mounted our deep-sea-going cab, and told the skipper we were for the eats. He took us to a big restaurant on upper Sixth Avenue.
1903		‘Hugh McHugh’ Out for the Coin 40: Nominate your eats.
1914		R. Lardner You Know Me Al (1984) 26: The hotel here is a great place and got good eats.
1922		S. Lewis Babbitt (1974) 237: Tell ’em what you want for eats.
1927		Smith’s Wkly (Sydney) 20 Aug. 11/2: Slanguage [...] Arithy. If hot dogs are a deaner a dozen at the fish and chip shop, and a bloke drifts in with ’arf a dollar in his kick, how many eats does he get? Answer to the nearest scrum.
1933		J. Spenser Limey 26: May’s well go back to Town and have some eats.
1937		C. Drew ‘Abdul’ in Bulletin 29 Dec. 8/1: [E]xcept that he was a bit particular about his eats he gave us little trouble.
1942		Whizzbang Comics 38: Perhaps we can buy some more eats here!
1954		Wodehouse Jeeves and the Feudal Spirit 189: Round about nine-twenty [...] you generally find the personnel of a country house lining up for the eats.
1960		H.E. Bates When the Green Woods Laugh (1985) 319: Eats are coming in a moment.
1973		E. Bunker No Beast So Fierce 284: I used to push a rig through here, stop for gas and eats.
1983		(con. 1970) S. Wright Meditations in Green (1985) 39: Get some eats [...] all you’ve got in the refrigerator is a jar of peanut butter.
1991		M.B. ‘Chopper’ Read Chopper From The Inside 97: The entire back room of a Port Melbourne Hotel was locked off with drinks and light eats provided.
1997–2001		Online Sl. Dict. 🌐 eats n 1. food. (‘Let’s go get some eats.’).
2010		W.D. Myers Lockdown 152: ‘If they gave you steak, you wouldn’t leave [prison] when your date came up. You’d be hanging around for the eats.’.