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In essence, the phrase means "slapped precisely in the center." According to the Oxford English Dictionary, smack-dab showed up in print in 1892: "He hit him smack dab in the mouth" [Dialect Notes I, 232].
The first element, smack, is used as an adverb. It is defined as "with, or as with, a smack; suddenly and violently; slap." It appears in 1782 in Cowper's John Gilpin: "Smack went the whip, round went the wheels."
The second element, dab, means "with a dab or sudden contact." Robert Armin's Nest of Ninnies uses it in this sense in 1608: "He dropt downe..as heauy as if a leaden plummet... had fallen on the earth dab."
A variation is slap-dab: "He was goin' that fas' he run slap-dab agin me afo' he seed me" [1886, Turf, Field & Farm XLII. 174/3].
Slap-bang is close, but it meant immediately rather than centered: "Slap-bang shop: a petty cook's shop where there is no credit given, but what is had must be paid down with the ready slap-bang, i.e. immediately" [1785, Grose's Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue]. In essence, the phrase means "slapped precisely in the center." According to the Oxford English Dictionary, smack-dab showed up in print in 1892: "He hit him smack dab in the mouth" [Dialect Notes I, 232].
The first element, smack, is used as an adverb. It is defined as "with, or as with, a smack; suddenly and violently; slap." It appears in 1782 in Cowper's John Gilpin: "Smack went the whip, round went the wheels."
The second element, dab, means "with a dab or sudden contact." Robert Armin's Nest of Ninnies uses it in this sense in 1608: "He dropt downe..as heauy as if a leaden plummet... had fallen on the earth dab."
A variation is slap-dab: "He was goin' that fas' he run slap-dab agin me afo' he seed me" [1886, Turf, Field & Farm XLII. 174/3].
Slap-bang is close, but it meant immediately rather than centered: "Slap-bang shop: a petty cook's shop where there is no credit given, but what is had must be paid down with the ready slap-bang, i.e. immediately" [1785, Grose's Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue].
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its a phrase with signals ( dummy smack )
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A little dab will do you. Dab some on me! A dab and a promise will do the trick! My favorite painting technique to give texture is the ol' "stab and dab" method.
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Picking flowers, do you love them or not, it NOT a phrase!
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She said if he touches her, she'll smack him.
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What are some words that end with dab?
smack dab
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The ' 4 ' is smack dab right in it.
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Table Top Mountain
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In the Indian ocean right smack dab in the middle
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Not casual, but not dressy. Smack dab in the middle. Hope this helps! :)
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The Red Sea, Actually right smack dab in the midde.
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its a phrase with signals ( dummy smack )
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smack dab in the center of North America. south of Canada, north of Mexico, east of Asia and west of Europe.
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The sun is smack-dab in the center of the solar system. That's why it's called the solar system.
Is Tibet a part of Asia?
Yes, Tibet is a part of Asia, geographically Tibet lies in central-south Asia. It is smack-dab in the heart of Asia. If it isn't, nothing is.
Where is Easley SC?
West of Greenville, SC IF LEAVING GREENVILLE,FIND HWY.123 SOUTH YOU WILL RUN SMACK DAB INTO EASLEY.THE NEXT CITY YOU WILL RUN INTO AFTER EASLEYIS CLEMSON.
