dab

"People don't realise, but cod was not the go-to fish when fish and chip shops started about 160 years ago," he said, revealing that it was dab that first made up a fish supper.

From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2026

Already in her still relatively short career, Elle Fanning has managed to position herself smack dab in the center of these two polarities, the perfect combination of classic Hollywood and new age celebrity.

From Salon ● Jan. 24, 2026

That extra dab of guacamole on a burrito is likely to cost more in coming days.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 4, 2025

For years, as an early-warning alert system, the county agricultural people had been hanging Medfly traps hither and thither among our pretty, fructiferous trees — little A-frame-shaped cardboard doohickeys with a dab of fly attractant.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2024

I dab at my eyes with a napkin.

From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed

We’re not talking about traditional formulaic “landscapes” of yore — SoCal tract homes swathed in lawns edged with nondescript shrubs and dabs of annual color bought at big-box nurseries.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2025

Adapting to the slowness of the pitch, he played none of his trademark dabs to third man, instead pouncing to whip through the leg side any time England dropped short.

From BBC ● Nov. 28, 2024

Martha Stewart doesn't do warts, but Cutler edits a wry irony into the artful coverage she dabs on her blemishes, like her refusal to count her marital infidelity as equivalent to that of her husband.

From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2024

His voice was firm, doling out dabs of sweetness cut with the occasional thrilling yelp.

From New York Times ● Apr. 26, 2023

He digs out a hankie and dabs his eyes.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

Root dabbed, cut and guided to the third man fence.

From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026

In the rear open kitchen, Manon Fleury turned humble winter produce into memorable dishes: Fried sweet-potato threads mimicked a mini funnel cake, dabbed with loquat jam.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 14, 2026

Afterwards Nawat appeared at a press conference wearing a tuxedo and openly weeping as he theatrically dabbed his eyes with a handkerchief, claiming he had been "betrayed".

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2025

Unencumbered by her own directorial scheme, Elliott leans into the freedom of musical storytelling, a mode in which realism is dabbed on rather than studiously applied.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2024

Perilee dabbed at teary eyes all day, and Karl kept shaking his head.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson

We see through her eyes an assistant dabbing moisturizer on her hand, art installers asking where she wants a large sculpture, a man cleaning her pool who greets her.

From Salon ● Jul. 2, 2026

Inside, women are dabbing moisturizers, sampling eye shadows and swabbing lipsticks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 8, 2025

"You have given him the best birthday gift he could ever have," she said, dabbing away tears and occasionally pausing to collect herself.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2025

When she’s asked to imagine her life after “Hacks,” Einbinder’s face suddenly turns pink, a folded tissue appears, and she’s dabbing away tears.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2025

He was dabbing at the rough edges of the cardboard with the brush.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole