Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. in pl., the fingers.

1797

Sporting Mag. May X 115/1: Smoke the quiz, with his long knuckle dabs.

2. (UK Und.) a blow.

1822		Tom and Jerry; Musical Extravaganza II iv: He floored me with a dab in the smellers.
c.1850		Duncombe New and Improved Flash Dict.
1861		Bell’s Life in Sydney 14 Sept. 4: As Fred wildly rushed in he was met with a ‘dab’.
1896		‘Frederick Benton Williams’ (H.E. Hamblen) On Many Seas 309: ‘You get more than you're worth, you bloody, ’ungry Yankee,’ said he; and he made a dab at me.
1897		Proc.Old Bailey 26 July 740: Stamp made a dash at him and caught his coat sleeve, and then made a dab at Poulton, and caught him on the shoulder.
1936		T. O’Reilly Tiger of the Legion 12: When at last I did cry, it was in anger, because of the stinging little dabs he gave me .

3. in pl., fingerprints.

[1707		N. Ward Compleat and Humorous Account of Remarkable Clubs (1756) 37: Frighten them from attempting to put their Parchment Dabs upon the Shoulders of the Society].
1926		N. Lucas London and Its Criminals 7: A week’s remand and the verifying of the ‘dabs’ soon brings their dossier to the court, where their past is laid bare.
1935		Thieves Slang ms list from District Police Training Centre, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Warwicks n.p.: Dabs (or Darbies): Fingerprints.
1937		E. Raymond Marsh 268: Only professionals leave no dabs.
1943		R.L. Bellem ‘Dead Man’s Guilt’ Dan Turner – Hollywood Detective May 🌐 They were the dabs of a hood named Jerky Kilgore.
1956		‘Charles Raven’ Und. Nights 84: It’s got your dabs on it and the bogies’ll be able to match it at the Yard.
1962		R. Cook Crust on Its Uppers 105: Three men were working on it, with thin cotton gloves so as not to leave dabs.
1978		F. Norman Dead Butler Caper 6: I had, in any case, left a generous supply of dabs about the place.
1989		(con. 1950s–60s) in G. Tremlett Little Legs 193: dabs finger-prints.
1990		R.G. Barratt ‘Who’s Jack of Robbo?’ in What Do You Reckon (1997) [ebook] He’s never been drunk, never copped a whack on the chin, never had his dabs taken.
1999		K. Bonfiglioli Great Mortdecai Moustache Mystery 140: No dabs, a new modus operandi, nothing for us to go on at all.
2001		N. Barlay Hooky Gear 32: This aint mine, he cries pickin up exhibit number 1 and greasin his dabs all over it.
2013		K. Sampson Killing Pool 153: They can wipe down their dabs and cover their tracks as much as they want, but [...] they’re just scallies.

4. (UK drugs) a small portion of cocaine or other powdered drug, taken by dabbing one’s finger into a pile or packet.

1995		(con. 1985–90) P. Bourjois In Search of Respect 42: Primo [...] dipped his housekey into the white powder [i.e. heroin] in order to lift a dab to his left nostril.
1997		N. Barlay Curvy Lovebox 68: Nood holds a wrap of coke open an’ I do some dabs.
2000		N. Griffiths Grits 51: Neva even offad me one fuckin dab, tha cunts.
2017		L. McInerney Blood Miracles 61: [N]one of it matters; it’s all just words, pauses, silence-and-sound. Especially if you’ve had a dab.

5. (drugs) high-strength marijuana extract that must be vaporized prior to ingestion.

2017

www.leafscience.com 20 Nov. 🌐 Dabs are a type of marijuana extract that users vaporize to get high. There are many different types of dabs available today, but the most common ones are shatter, wax, budder, crumble, and butane hash oil (BHO).