Tab-nabs

[gastwo]

Snacks served mid-morning and mid-afternoon in the navy and in the off-shore oil/gas/drilling industry are known as 'Tab-nabs'  Anyone know the origin?

[woofgang]

Don't know the origin, but I spent the first third of my married life on merchant navy cargo ships and tankers. Tea and tabnabs.....how that takes me back. We used the phrase to mean cakes.

[Quizmonster]

According to The Oxford English Dictionary, the origin is obscure, so - if the scholars there can't pin it down - it's a safe bet that nobody else will be able to. It is first recorded in the 1930s, so it isn't really ancient naval jargon. I suppose the 'nabs' part might just conceivably be related to the idea of 'nibbles', another word sometimes applied to little 'treats'.

[gastwo]

Thanks both!  I found about as much as you did, Qm - maybe one day we'll get the answer!

Woof, what tankers were you on?

[doghandler]

Dont know if it helps but when I was in the Army a 'tab' was a cigarette.

So we used to have 'tab' breaks.

Might connect?

[woofgang]

chevron, mobil esso, Blue funnel cargo before that