DCHP-1 Online
high-grade ((1)) ((n.)) high-grade ore. Mining 
1 n. gold-bearing ore that is of high assay value.
- 1910 (1921) A massive-jawed fighting bulldog was turned loose nightly in the ore-house to guard the sacks of high grade ore; but Red Meekins . . . went on high-grading.
- 1963 On rare occasions, after a dynamite blast, this visible gold falls out of the rock in pure nuggets. If the miners are honest, they send for the shift boss and the security guards. Then everybody watches everybody else while they fill a canvas sack with the high-grade and take it straight to the refinery. if the miners are dishonest, they hide the high-grade and start scheming to get it out of the mine
2 n. high-assay gold-bearing ore stolen from a mine.
See also: high-grade ((1)) ((v.)) (def. 1)
- 1948 "Someone's suspicious; I guess he's got high-grade. He wants to git the dope on and won't let us in on it."
- 1963 One dealer once got a job as a milk-driver, so he could collect high-grade ore along his route.
- 1910 (1921) A massive-jawed fighting bulldog was turned loose nightly in the ore-house to guard the sacks of high grade ore; but Red Meekins . . . went on high-grading.