English

Dabbing hash oil.

Hash oil, aka dab.

Verb

dab ‎(third-person singular simple present dabs, present participle dabbing, simple past and past participle dabbed)

1. (transitive) To press lightly in a repetitive motion with a soft object without rubbing.

   I dabbed my face with a towel.

   • S. Sharp

     A sore should […] be wiped […] only by dabbing it over with fine lint.

2. (transitive) To apply a substance in this way.

   He dabbed moisturizing liquid on his face.

3. To strike by a thrust; to hit with a sudden blow or thrust.
   • Sir T. More

     to dab him in the neck

4. To apply hash oil to a heated surface for the purpose of efficient combustion.
5. To perform the dab dance move.

Translations

Noun

dab ‎(plural dabs)

1. A soft tap or blow; a blow or peck from a bird's beak; an aimed blow.
   • 1865, Charles Dickens, Our Mutual Friend:

     I promise you nothing,' said the dolls' dressmaker, dabbing two dabs at him with her needle, as if she put out both his eyes.

   • 1917, Robert Hichens, In the Wilderness:

     Then the minute feet made feeble dabs, or stabs, at the atmosphere; the tiny fists doubled themselves and wandered to and fro as if in search of the enemy.

2. (African American Vernacular) A soft, playful box given in greeting or approval.
   • 2006, Greta X, Angela Pearson, Whipsdom, page 75:

     She gave a few more dabs to his buttocks. “There. By the time you've made love to me those weals will have dried up.”

   • 2010, Adrianne Byrd, Body Heat, page 177:

     The men gave each other dabs and another bear hug.

   • 2010, De'nesha Diamond, Hustlin' Divas, page 220:

     Python snickers while he gives Rufus dabs. “Do you,nigga. Do you.” That **** just makes Rufus's lips stretch wider. “You see this, Peaches? This is like the Good Housekeeping seal of approval right here.”

     page 197: I step closer to Profit and draw in a deep, steadying breath while the brothers exchange dabs. “What's up, fam? I see you finally made it.”

3. A small amount, a blob of some soft or wet substance.
4. (chiefly in the plural, dated, Britain) Fingerprint.
5. A small amount of hash oil.
6. A hip hop dance move in which the dancer simultaneously drops the head while raising an arm, briefly resting their face in the elbow, as if sneezing into their elbow.

Coordinate terms

• (soft, playful box given in greeting or approval): dap, fistbump, high five

Related terms

• dap
• dob
• tap

Translations

Adverb

dab ‎(not comparable)

1. With a dab, or sudden contact.

Translations

See also

• daub

Etymology 2

Perhaps corrupted from adept.

Noun

dab ‎(plural dabs)

1. One skilful or proficient; an expert; an adept.
   • Goldsmith

     One excels at a plan or the title page, another works away at the body of the book, and the third is a dab at an index.

Synonyms

• See also Wikisaurus:skilled person

Translations

Derived terms

• dab hand

Etymology 3

Origin unknown.

Noun

dab ‎(plural dabs)

1. A small flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae, especially Limanda limanda； a flounder.
2. (US) A sand dab, a small flatfish of genus Citharichthys.

Translations

References

• Oxford English Dictionary (1989)

Anagrams

• ABD, ADB, bad, BDA, dba, DBA, D.B.A.

Lojban

Rafsi

dab

1. rafsi of damba.

White Hmong

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d̪a˥/

Noun

dab

1. (evil) spirit, considered responsible for epileptic attacks among other things

Derived terms

• qaug dab peg

References

• Ernest E. Heimbach, White Hmong - English Dictionary (1979, SEAP Publications)