subs. (American).—Food and other necessaries furnished to mining prospectors in return for a share in the ‘finds.’ Hence, TO GRUB-STAKE = to speculate after this fashion.
1884. H. BUTTERWORTH, Zig-Zag Journeys in the Western States of America, p. 309. When some of the miners become so poor that they are not able to furnish the necessary tools and ‘GRUB’ with which to ‘go prospecting,’ a third party of sufficient means offers to furnish tools and provisions on condition that he be given a certain interest in anything that may be found.
1890. A. C. GUNTER, Miss Nobody of Nowhere, p. 100. He GRUB-STAKED us, and we used to work on the Tillie mine together.
