It is related to a military warning from the 17th. century, 'ware afore! or look out behind!
adgatating
"removal of damaged tissue from a wound," 1842, from Fr., lit. "unbridling."
in the 1860s, it meant using lousy material to make soldiers unifrms
Middle English Sotil, Latin subtilis.
It comes from the word atun from the Spainish