Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Nearby Words

dab hand

 - 3 dictionary results

dab

3[dab] Slang.
–noun
1. Also called dab hand. a person skilled in something; an expert.
2. an excellent or extraordinary person or thing.
–adjective
3. expert; excellent; extraordinary.

Origin:
1685–95; of uncert. orig.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To dab hand
dab hand  
n.  A person skilled in a particular activity; an expert: a dab hand at gardening.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

dab 
c.1307, "heavy blow with a weapon," from dabben "to strike," perhaps imitative. Modern sense of "strike with a slight, quick pressure" developed by 1592, infl. by Fr. dauber (see daub). Dab hand is British slang, 1828, from dab "expert" (1691), said to be school slang, of unknown origin.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Search another word or see dab hand on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us: