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keep tabs on
Slang Dictionary

tab definition


  1. n.
    a bill (for something). (From tabulation. See also chit.) : Marlowe paid the tab and left quietly.
  2. n.
    a tablet (of medicine). : Take a couple of aspirin tabs and call me in the morning.
  3. tv.
    to identify someone. : I couldn't quite tab her, but when she started talking I knew right away who she was.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

keep tabs on

Observe carefully, keep a record of. For example, I hate having my boss keep tabs on my every move, or We've got to keep tabs on outgoing mail so we can keep track of postage. This expression uses to tab in the sense of "an account." [Late 1800s] Also see keep track.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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