Dab — Defs

01 n. A skillful hand; a dabster; an expert.

1.
A skillful hand; a dabster; an expert.[Colloq.]
“One excels at a plan or the titlepage, another works away at the body of the book, and the third is a dab at an index.” — Goldsmith.

02 n. A name given to several species of flounders, esp. to the European species, Pleuronectes limanda. The American rough dab is Hippoglossoides…

1.
A name given to several species of flounders, esp. to the European species, Pleuronectes limanda. The American rough dab is Hippoglossoides platessoides.(Zool.)

03 v. i. To strike or touch gently, as with a soft or moist substance; to tap; hence, to besmear with a dabber.

imp. & p. p. Dabbed; p. pr. & vb. n. Dabbing

1.
To strike or touch gently, as with a soft or moist substance; to tap; hence, to besmear with a dabber.
“A sore should . . . be wiped . . . only by dabbing it over with fine lint.” — S. Sharp.
2.
To strike by a thrust; to hit with a sudden blow or thrust.

04 n. A gentle blow with the hand or some soft substance; a sudden blow or hit; a peck.

1.
A gentle blow with the hand or some soft substance; a sudden blow or hit; a peck.
“A scratch of her claw, a dab of her beak.” — Hawthorne.
2.
A small mass of anything soft or moist.