grubstake

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See also: grub-stake

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From grub +‎ stake.

Pronunciation

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  • Audio (US):(file)

Noun

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grubstake (plural grubstakes)

  1. (mining) Money, materials, tools, food etc. provided to a prospector in return for a share in future profits.
    • 1918, Jack London, Like Argus of the Ancient Times:
      I've been through hell. The other three are all at work and healthy, getting grub-stake to prospect up White River this winter.
  2. (business) An amount of money advanced to someone starting a business in return for a share of the future profits.
  3. Money, necessities stockpiled to sustain an effort for a period of time.
    • 1903, U.S. Geological Survey professional paper, page 35:
      No one however should go to this country intending to mine without taking with him a year's supplies commonly known as a grub stake or its money equivalent about $1,000.
    • 1936, Philip Ashton Rollins, The Cow Boy: An Unconventional History of Civilization on the Old-time[1], page 34:
      However, each of these words might, on occasion, be used in a different sense, [...], "grub-stake" to denote one's food supply, regardless of how obtained.
    • 2013, The Economist, Manufacturing metals: a tantalizing prospect[2]:
      The resulting income, the firm hopes, will provide it with the grubstake it needs to move on to the big prize: titanium.

Verb

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grubstake (third-person singular simple present grubstakes, present participle grubstaking, simple past and past participle grubstaked)

  1. (transitive) To supply such funds to.
    • 1910, Jack London, Burning Daylight, part 1 chapter 3:
      "Nobody grub-stakes me," was the answer. "I stake myself, and when I make a killing it's sure all mine. [...] "