Grub
Grub (grub) , intransitive verb
[Old English grubbin., compare English grab, grope.]
1.
To dig in or under the ground, generally for an object that is difficult to reach or extricate; to be occupied in digging.
2.
To drudge; to do menial work. — Richardson
Grub , transitive verb
1.
To dig; to dig up by the roots; to root out by digging; -- followed by up; as, to grub up trees, rushes, or sedge.
They do not attempt to grub up the root of sin.
2.
To supply with food. [Slang] — Dickens
Grub , noun
1.
(Zoology) The larva of an insect, especially of a beetle; -- called also grubworm. See Illust. of Goldsmith beetle, under Goldsmith.
Yet your butterfly was a grub.
2.
A short, thick man; a dwarf. [Obsolete] — Carew
3.
Victuals; food. [Slang] — Halliwell
I 'd sooner ballads write, and grubstreet lays.