Grub
Food. Informal. 'Time for some grub' = time to eat. Class- and age-portable across Ireland, with no fixed register. The word is shared with British informal English, but stays especially current in Hiberno-English.
Etymology
From the older English informal sense - probably from 'grub' meaning to dig for food (the same root as 'grub' for an insect larva, since both dig). Documented as slang for food from at least the eighteenth century. Hiberno-English picked up the British slang form and kept it long after standard British use began to fade in formal contexts.
In a sentence
"Pub's doing decent grub now - the new chef has the menu sorted."
Historical notes
Grub is one of the few Hiberno-English food-words that has no specific Irish origin but is more current in Irish speech than in modern standard British speech. The word feels working-class in tone in Britain but is class-neutral in Ireland - heard from solicitors, bus drivers, and primary-school pupils equally. The construction 'getting the grub in' (= making the food, especially in bulk) and 'good grub' (= good food) are common Irish phrases.
Sources
- Oxford English Dictionary, entry grub n. (food sense). · dictionary