Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A dab hand.
- noun Any of various flatfishes, especially the edible Limanda limanda of northeast Atlantic waters.
- intransitive verb To apply with short poking strokes.
- intransitive verb To cover lightly with or as if with a moist substance.
- intransitive verb To rub or pat (something) lightly.
- intransitive verb To press (something) lightly against an object or surface.
- intransitive verb To remove or brush away with light strokes.
- intransitive verb To make light patting or stroking motions.
- noun A small amount.
- noun A quick light pat.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The salt-water flounder or fluke, Limanda limanda.
- noun An expert; a knowing or skilful man; a dabster.
- Clever; skilled: as, a dab hand at a thing.
- noun A quick or sudden blow.
- noun A gentle blow or pat with the hand or some soft substance.
- noun A dig; a peck, as from the beak of a bird.
- noun A first or imperfect impression on the metal in making a die.
- noun A small lump or mass of something soft or moist; a small quantity: as, a dab of mortar; a dab of butter.
- noun A trifle; a slight, insignificant thing or person: in contempt.
- noun plural Refuse foots of sugar.
- noun A pinafore.
- With a dab; without hesitation; vigorously.
- To strike.
- To strike gently with the hand; slap softly; pat.
- To pat or tap gently with some soft or moist substance; specifically, in etching, china-painting, etc., to pat or rub gently with a dabber, so as to diffuse or spread evenly a groundwork of color, etc.; smear.
- To strike with a pointed or sharp weapon; prick; stab.
- To dibble.
- To deceive.
- In stone-working, to pick holes in with a pointed tool; fret.
- To prick.
- To peck, as birds.
- To use a dabber.
- To fall down loosely.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun colloq. A skillful hand; a dabster; an expert.
- noun (Zoöl.) A name given to several species of flounders, esp. to the European species,
Pleuronectes limanda . The American rough dab isHippoglossoides platessoides . - intransitive verb To strike or touch gently, as with a soft or moist substance; to tap; hence, to besmear with a dabber.
- intransitive verb To strike by a thrust; to hit with a sudden blow or thrust.
- noun A gentle blow with the hand or some soft substance; a sudden blow or hit; a peck.
- noun A small mass of anything soft or moist.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun One
skilful orproficient , an expert, anadept . - noun A small
flatfish of the familyPleuronectidae , especially Limanda limanda； a flounder. - noun A
sand dab . - verb transitive To
press lightly in arepetitive motion with a soft object without rubbing. - verb transitive To
apply a substance in this way. - noun A soft
tap orblow ; a blow orpeck from a bird's beak; an aimed blow. - noun African American Vernacular A soft,
playful box given in greeting or approval. - noun A small amount, a
blob of some soft or wet substance. - noun dated, UK
Fingerprint . - adverb With a dab, or
sudden contact .
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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But from about the seventeenth century until the 1930s, we were called dab hands.
White Cat Holly Black 2010
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But from about the seventeenth century until the 1930s, we were called dab hands.
White Cat Holly Black 2010
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(There is also S. 1033 "For a Safe and Secure America" blogged here March 28 under the title "Senate Bill 1033, Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act" and an earlier blog entry on this same bill, March 26, "Immigration Conflagration") But here is a dab from the sponsoring Congressman's website:
HR 4437 Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005 2006
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Goeing up that same river we meet 2 french that weare fishing a kind of fish called dab, which is excellent, & have done us great kindnesse, having left no more provision then what we needed much.
Voyages of Peter Esprit Radisson Pierre Esprit Radisson 1673
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Other arctic flatfish include the long rough dab, which is an abundant bottom-dweller in some parts of the Arctic seas, including the Barents Sea [100].
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"I like to keep active, and was chopping wood, general fetching and carrying," said Wood, known as a dab hand at DIY.
Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph 2011
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Other arctic flatfish include the long rough dab, which is an abundant bottom-dweller in some parts of the Arctic seas, including the Barents Sea
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It was Fox news that said the "dab" between this couple was a terrorist tap
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Note 53: I translate as "dab" the Shangaan verb kutota, which means to anoint, as with oil.
Where Women Make History: Gendered Tellings of Community and Change in Magude, Mozambique 2005
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He could light a fire in a minute under the most unfavorable conditions and with the most unpromising material, made the best coffee to be tasted outside of a creole kitchen, was a "dab" at camp stews and roasts, groomed my horses (one of which he rode near me), washed my linen, and was never behind time.
Destruction and Reconstruction: Personal Experiences of the Late War Richard Taylor
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