Definition of "tab"

"His name was written upon a tab within it - Maple White, Lake Avenue, Detroit, Michigan."

1912, Arthur Conan Doyle, The Lost World […], London, New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton

He pulls off his belt, cursing as the studs catch in the tabs of his jeans.

1994 , Irvine Welsh, “Station to Station”, in Trainspotting, London: Minerva, page 333

We lifted the tabs on the cans and poured the brew carefully into glasses.

2010, Peter Corris, Torn Apart, Allen and Unwin, page 18

Moreover, at a tab of $9 million, the system's price is about $1 million less than a conventional heating-cooling plant […]

1984, Time, volume 123, number 1

You can prevent a control from getting the focus when the user is tabbing between controls by settings its IsTabStop property to False.

2010, Chris Anderson, Pro Business Applications with Silverlight 4, page 210

You should have been there---it was a good race. Just to clarify matters for the hard of understanding, the tabs led for about 1500m before turning to shrapnel, and Oxford eventually won by 3/4 length.

1995 January 20, Paul Thomas, “Re: >Re: Those 'orrible Tabs”, in rec.sport.rowing‎ (Usenet)

Before Rachel gets in with a stab at the Tabs' coxing efforts, may I say that my experience of coxes on the Isis is somewhat similar.

1995 February 7, "Laser Cartridge" [username], “Re: Cambridge News, again.”, in rec.sport.rowing‎ (Usenet)

Plus, there's always been a healthy rivalry between the tabs and us, but I'm sure this has nothing to do with it ;-)

1998 January 17, whitey [username], “Re: Tab bashing (was University Challenge - Its pish)”, in rec.arts.tv.uk.misc‎ (Usenet)

I hope the Tabs get beaten! :-) I support Oxford for no real reason but they have a bad habit of losing to Cambridge recently.

2002 March 27, The Guv'nor [username], “Re: My target this week was...”, in uk.rec.bodybuilding‎ (Usenet)

I have nothing against the girl (other than the fact she's a tab!), but it does strike me as a little daft!!

2002 March 29, Caroline Smith, “Re: Lifejackets thread returns... [was Re: Boat Race]”, in rec.sport.rowing‎ (Usenet)

Anybody know who won? ¶ Or should that be, how much did the Tabs win by? ;-)

2006 March 30, JY [username], “Veterans Boat Race (that's Oxford, England vs Cambridge, England)”, in rec.sport.rowing‎ (Usenet)

By 1926 the tabloid mania was at full tilt, and the tabs in New York went at each other with hammer and tong.

1999, George H. Douglas, The Golden Age of the Newspaper‎, page 229

That is the attitude of the tabs: they cover the world's most important city.

2010, Robert Lusetich, Unplayable: An Inside Account of Tiger's Most Tumultuous Season‎

Tonight the kids will go out and party down in a more righteous mode. Alcohol and not a few tabs of X will be ingested. Club music will throb through big speakers.

2008, Stephen King, Graduation Weekend