Make Your Point > Archived Issues > DABBLE
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Alright, y'all. Let's dabble in grammar.
The word dabble is an example of a frequentative, which, like it sounds, is a form of a word that expresses frequent, or repeated, action. Do you dab? Do you a dab a lot? Then you dabble. And dabble is the frequentative form of dab.
The same goes for blab and blabber, crumb and crumble, spark and sparkle, stride and straddle, f__t and flutter, scud and s_____e, and so on.
You can think of the frequentative forms (dabble, crumble, sparkle, etc.) as the children to the parent forms (dab, crumb, spark, etc.), which is how I love to think of them, because the kid forms are so cute: glimmer, snuggle, speckle, tickle, twinkle. Can you think of others?
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
make your point with...
"DABBLE"
To dabble is to get just a little wet by splashing a bit.
More generally speaking, if you dabble, or if you dabble in an activity or interest, you get involved in it just a little bit, as if you're dipping just your fingers or toes into it rather than jumping all the way in. Dabbling is usually done for fun rather than for a serious, professional purpose.
Pronunciation:
DAB ull
Part of speech:
Verb.
It can be the transitive kind: you dabble your finger in the paint, or you dabble a scratch with medicine.
But when we use it figuratively, it's the intransitive kind: you dabble in a sport, you dabble in poetry, you dabble in the world of drawing manga.
Other forms:
dabbled, dabbling, dabbler(s)
How to use it:
When you say that someone dabbles in something, there might be a judgmental edge to your comment, as if you're calling that person a dilettante: someone involved in some sphere or activity in a manner that's unskilled, unprofessional, and perhaps baselessly arrogant. "Don't mention how horrible her sewing is; she'll be dabbling in something else soon anyway."
But you might simply be describing someone graced with the time, the curiosity, and the confidence to follow her whims. "He's dabbling in Italian." "She's dabbling in trim carpentry." "Thanks to YouTube, we can all be dabblers in makeup artistry."
examples:
Feeling ogled, and not wanting to talk to any of the other attendees, I arranged myself into a posture I hoped would look aloof and mysterious, one that would say, "I might dabble in Muay Thai or Krav Maga. You don't know."
"Mr. Hirson wrote two plays that were produced off-Broadway in the 1960s, 'Journey to the Day' and 'World War 2½,' and occasionally dabbled in Hollywood screenwriting."
— Harrison Smith, Washington Post, 30 May 2019
has this page helped you understand "dabble"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "dabble" without saying "toy with" or "play around with."
try it out:
Fill in the blank: "I've tried once or twice to _____. One of these days, I'll do more than dabble."
Example: "I've tried once or twice to grow an avocado tree. One of these days, I'll do more than dabble."
before you review, play:
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
Our game this month is "Big Bang Thicket."
In each issue, hack your way through the polysyllabic title of an episode of The Big Bang Theory, and use your knowledge of vocabulary to answer the question about what happens in that episode.
From the previous issue:
In "The Roommate Transmogrification," does Sheldon get an entirely different roommate, or does he involve his roommate in an escalating series of bets?
Answer:
He gets the new roommate. To transmogrify something is to change it completely into something else--usually into something weird.
Try this one today:
In "The Ornithophobia Diffusion," does Sheldon's fear of birds worsen or improve?
review this word:
1. The opposite of DABBLE is
A. SMEAR.
B. SILENCE.
C. IMMERSE.
2. In his autobiography, Kevin Hart recounts his days of being _____ as _____ and a dabbler in stand-up comedy.
A. groomed .. a star
B. dismissed .. a hack
C. conflicted .. an opponent
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
Alright, y'all. Let's dabble in grammar.
"DABBLE" To dabble is to get just a little wet by splashing a bit.
Feeling ogled, and not wanting to talk to any of the other attendees, I arranged myself into a posture I hoped would look aloof and mysterious, one that would say, "I might dabble in Muay Thai or Krav Maga. You don't know."
Explain the meaning of "dabble" without saying "toy with" or "play around with."
Fill in the blank: "I've tried once or twice to _____. One of these days, I'll do more than dabble."
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
1. The opposite of DABBLE is
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