a specific position in a sequence or hierarchy: The choral group has the second spot on the program, right after the dancers. He moved up from second spot to become president of the firm.
10.
Cards.
a.
one of various traditional, geometric drawings of a club, diamond, heart, or spade on a playing card for indicating suit and value.
b.
any playing card from a two through a ten: He drew a jack, a queen, and a three spot.
11.
a pip, as on dice or dominoes.
12.
Slang. a piece of paper money, almost always indicated as a five- or ten-dollar bill: Can you loan me a five spot until payday?
13.
Also called spot illustration.a small drawing, usually black and white, appearing within or accompanying a text.
14.
Chiefly BritishInformal.
a.
a small quantity of anything.
b.
a drink: a spot of tea.
15.
a small croaker, Leiostomus xanthurus, of the eastern coast of the U.S., used as a food fish.
16.
spots, Informal. commodities, as grain, wool, and soybeans, sold for immediate delivery.
to determine (a location) precisely on either the ground or a map.
b.
to observe (the results of gunfire at or near a target) for the purpose of correcting aim.
29.
Photography. to remove spots from (a negative or print) by covering with opaque color.
30.
Sports. to give or grant a certain margin or advantage to (an opponent): He spotted the tyro 12 points a game. The champion won, although spotting the challenger twenty pounds.
31.
(in gymnastics) to watch or assist (a performer) in order to prevent injury.
32.
Slang. to lend: Can you spot me twenty for tonight's game?
–verb (used without object)
33.
to make a spot; cause a stain: Ink spots badly.
34.
to become spotted, as some fabrics when spattered with water.
35.
Military. to serve or act as a spotter.
–adjective
36.
Radio,Television.
a.
pertaining to the point of origin of a local broadcast.
b.
broadcast between announced programs.
37.
made, paid, delivered, etc., at once: a spot sale; spot goods.
—Idioms
38.
hit the high spots, Informal. to deal with or include only the major points of interest: With but a limited amount of vacation time, he concentrated on hitting the high spots of Europe.
39.
hit the spot, Informal. to satisfy a want or need, as to quench thirst: Iced tea hits the spot during the hot summer months.
40.
in a (bad) spot, in an uncomfortable or dangerous predicament: The tourists found themselves in a bad spot after they lost their money in Las Vegas.
41.
knock spots off, BritishSlang. to outdo easily; beat.
42.
on the spot,
a.
without delay; at once; instantly.
b.
at the very place in question.
c.
in a difficult or embarrassing position.
d.
in a position of being expected to act or to respond in some way.
Origin: 1150–1200; (n.) ME spotte; c. MD, LG spot speck, ON spotti bit; (v.) late ME spotten to stain, mark, deriv. of the n.
To come into contact with forcefully; strike: The car hit the guardrail.
To reach with or as if with a blow: The bullet hit the police officer in the shoulder.
To cause to come into contact: She hit her hand against the wall.
To deal a blow to.
To strike with a missile: fired and hit the target.
To reach with a propelled ball or puck: hit the running back with a pass.
To score in this way: She hit the winning basket.
To perform (a shot or maneuver) successfully: couldn't hit the jump shot.
To propel with a stroke or blow: hit the ball onto the green.
To execute (a base hit) successfully: hit a single.
To bat against (a pitcher or kind of pitch) successfully: can't hit a slider.
To affect, especially adversely: The company was hit hard by the recession. Influenza hit the elderly the hardest.
To be affected by (a negative development): Their marriage hit a bad patch.
To win (a prize, for example), especially in a lottery.
To arise suddenly in the mind of; occur to: It finally hit him that she might be his long-lost sister.
Informal To go to or arrive at: We hit the beach early.
Informal To attain or reach: Monthly sales hit a new high. She hit 40 on her last birthday.
To produce or represent accurately: trying to hit the right note.
To cause to come into contact: She hit her hand against the wall.
To deal a blow to.
To strike with a missile: fired and hit the target.
To reach with a propelled ball or puck: hit the running back with a pass.
To score in this way: She hit the winning basket.
To perform (a shot or maneuver) successfully: couldn't hit the jump shot.
To propel with a stroke or blow: hit the ball onto the green.
To execute (a base hit) successfully: hit a single.
To bat against (a pitcher or kind of pitch) successfully: can't hit a slider.
To affect, especially adversely: The company was hit hard by the recession. Influenza hit the elderly the hardest.
To be affected by (a negative development): Their marriage hit a bad patch.
To win (a prize, for example), especially in a lottery.
To arise suddenly in the mind of; occur to: It finally hit him that she might be his long-lost sister.
Informal To go to or arrive at: We hit the beach early.
Informal To attain or reach: Monthly sales hit a new high. She hit 40 on her last birthday.
To produce or represent accurately: trying to hit the right note.
To press or push (a key or button, for example): hit the return key by mistake.
Sports
To reach with a propelled ball or puck: hit the running back with a pass.
To score in this way: She hit the winning basket.
To perform (a shot or maneuver) successfully: couldn't hit the jump shot.
To propel with a stroke or blow: hit the ball onto the green.
To execute (a base hit) successfully: hit a single.
To bat against (a pitcher or kind of pitch) successfully: can't hit a slider.
To affect, especially adversely: The company was hit hard by the recession. Influenza hit the elderly the hardest.
To be affected by (a negative development): Their marriage hit a bad patch.
To win (a prize, for example), especially in a lottery.
To arise suddenly in the mind of; occur to: It finally hit him that she might be his long-lost sister.
Informal To go to or arrive at: We hit the beach early.
Informal To attain or reach: Monthly sales hit a new high. She hit 40 on her last birthday.
To produce or represent accurately: trying to hit the right note.
Baseball
To execute (a base hit) successfully: hit a single.
To bat against (a pitcher or kind of pitch) successfully: can't hit a slider.
To affect, especially adversely: The company was hit hard by the recession. Influenza hit the elderly the hardest.
To be affected by (a negative development): Their marriage hit a bad patch.
To win (a prize, for example), especially in a lottery.
To arise suddenly in the mind of; occur to: It finally hit him that she might be his long-lost sister.
Informal To go to or arrive at: We hit the beach early.
Informal To attain or reach: Monthly sales hit a new high. She hit 40 on her last birthday.
To produce or represent accurately: trying to hit the right note.
To affect, especially adversely: The company was hit hard by the recession. Influenza hit the elderly the hardest.
To be affected by (a negative development): Their marriage hit a bad patch.
To win (a prize, for example), especially in a lottery.
To arise suddenly in the mind of; occur to: It finally hit him that she might be his long-lost sister.
Informal To go to or arrive at: We hit the beach early.
Informal To attain or reach: Monthly sales hit a new high. She hit 40 on her last birthday.
To produce or represent accurately: trying to hit the right note.
Informal
To win (a prize, for example), especially in a lottery.
To arise suddenly in the mind of; occur to: It finally hit him that she might be his long-lost sister.
Informal To go to or arrive at: We hit the beach early.
Informal To attain or reach: Monthly sales hit a new high. She hit 40 on her last birthday.
To produce or represent accurately: trying to hit the right note.
Informal To go to or arrive at: We hit the beach early.
Informal To attain or reach: Monthly sales hit a new high. She hit 40 on her last birthday.
To produce or represent accurately: trying to hit the right note.
Games To deal cards to.
Sports To bite on or take (bait or a lure). Used of a fish.
v.
intr.
To strike or deal a blow.
To come into contact with something; collide.
To attack: The raiders hit at dawn.
To happen or occur: The storm hit without warning.
To achieve or find something desired or sought: finally hit on the answer; hit upon a solution to the problem.
Baseball To bat or bat well: Their slugger hasn't been hitting lately.
Sports To score by shooting, especially in basketball: hit on 7 of 8 shots.
To ignite a mixture of air and fuel in the cylinders. Used of an internal-combustion engine.
n.
A collision or impact.
A successfully executed shot, blow, thrust, or throw.
Sports A deliberate collision with an opponent, such as a body check in ice hockey.
A match of data in a search string against data that one is searching.
A connection made to a website over the Internet or another network: Our company's website gets about 2,000 hits daily.
A dose of a narcotic drug.
A puff of a cigarette or a pipe.
A successful or popular venture: a Broadway hit.
Computer Science
A match of data in a search string against data that one is searching.
A connection made to a website over the Internet or another network: Our company's website gets about 2,000 hits daily.
A dose of a narcotic drug.
A puff of a cigarette or a pipe.
An apt or effective remark.
Abbr. HBaseball A base hit.
Slang
A dose of a narcotic drug.
A puff of a cigarette or a pipe.
Slang A murder planned and carried out usually by a member of an underworld syndicate.
Phrasal Verb(s): hit on Slang To pay unsolicited and usually unwanted sexual attention to: can't go into a bar lately without being hit on. hit up Slang To approach and ask (someone) for something, especially for money: tried to hit me up for a loan.
Idiom(s):
hit it big Slang To be successful: investors who hit it big on the stock market.
Idiom(s):
hit it off Informal To get along well together.
Idiom(s):
hit the books Informal To study, especially with concentrated effort.
Idiom(s):
hit the bottle/booze/sauce Slang To engage in drinking alcoholic beverages.
Idiom(s):
hit the bricks Slang To go on strike.
Idiom(s):
hit the fan Slang To have serious, usually adverse consequences.
Idiom(s):
hit the ground running Informal To begin a venture with great energy, involvement, and competence.
Idiom(s):
hit the hay/sack Slang To go to bed: hit the hay well before midnight.
Idiom(s):
hit the high points/spotsTo direct attention to the most important points or places.
Idiom(s):
hit the jackpotTo become highly and unexpectedly successful, especially to win a great deal of money.
Idiom(s):
hit the nail on the headTo be absolutely right.
Idiom(s):
hit the road Slang To set out, as on a trip; leave.
Idiom(s):
hit the roof/ceiling Slang To express anger, especially vehemently.
Idiom(s):
hit the spotTo give total or desired satisfaction, as food or drink.
[Middle English hitten, from Old English hyttan, from Old Norse hitta.] hit'less adj., hit'ta·ble adj.
tv. and hit the bull's-eye. to be exactly right. (See also ring the bell.) : You really hit the spot with that prediction.
tv. to be refreshing. : I want something hot—some coffee would really hit the bull's-eye.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition. Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
spot (so) ( (sth)
tv. to give an advantage to someone. : I'll spot you twenty points.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition. Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History
spot (v.)
c.1412, "to stain, sully, tarnish" from spot (n.). Sense of "to stain with spots" is attested from c.1440. Meaning "to see and recognize," is from 1718, originally colloquial and applied to a criminal or suspected person; the general sense is from 1860.
Main Entry: 2spot Function: intransitive verb Inflected Forms: spot·ted; spot·ting : to experience abnormal and sporadicbleeding in small amounts from the uterus
Give total satisfaction, as in This beer really hits the spot. This expression gained enormous currency with a 1930s advertising jingle, in which a popular soda was said to hit the spot. [Slang; mid-1800s]