a bl**dy good tab going/extracurricular [activity]

[Vladv1]

Also, it was expensive, especially in places like the Marquee, where we used to go a lot. But they always seemed to have a few bob in their pockets. Or they had a bl**dy good tab going wherever we were, so I enjoyed the company but I couldn’t get involved in the extracurricular [activity]. I’d always been scared of drugs.’ Bernie was just 25, still finding his way on the music scene. Bon was already past 30 and had been everywhere.

Mick Wall, "Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be"

What does "a bl**dy good tab going" mean? "Does "extracurricular [activity]" mean drugs?

 

[Tarheel]

1. They were allowed to run a tab. (Drink now. Pay later.)
2. In this case "extracurricular activities" refers to recreational drugs.

 

[Vladv1]

1. They were allowed to run a tab. (Drink now. Pay later.)
2. In this case "extracurricular activities" refers to recreational drugs.

And "b**dy good tab" means that they can drink and eat very much?

 

[Rover_KE]

Yes.

 

[PeterCW]

In the period that the author is writing about pubs and bars normally required payment in cash as you ordered each drink. He is saying that either they were carrying a lot of money or that they were being allowed significantly more credit than was normal.

 

[emsr2d2]

I'd say that a "bloody good tab" means that they were given a lot of credit by the bar, and also that they took advantage of that to run up a large bill that had to be paid at the end of the evening.

 

[probus]

And "b**dy good tab" means that they can drink and eat very much?

Not necessarily. As @Tarheel said; it means you can drink now and pay later. The bar has extended credit to you. Intrinsically it has nothing to do with how much you drink, although in practice credit would never be offered to occasional imbibers, and "bloody good" suggests the tab is a big one.