dabble

to try something for a short time

TRANSLATION

dabble = sich in etwas versuchen, sich oberflächlich mit etwas befassen --- How important is this English word? dabble: 4,060,000 Google Hits

STATISTICS

IN THE PRESS

After getting an MBA from Harvard, Bush headed back to his roots in Texas, where he DABBLED in the oil business, and eventually became a part owner of the Texas Rangers baseball team.

(www.pbs.com)

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Some Catholic theologians have attacked the Harry Potter books for encouraging children to DABBLE in black magic.

One person in five in Western Europe and the United States, they say, consults "professionals of the occult" each year.

(BBC News)

Did you
know?

dabble
verb

1. to take a slight and not very serious interest in a subject, or try a particular activity for a short period

2. to put part of your body, such as your hand or foot, into the water of a pool or stream, etc. and move it about

(Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)

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ETYMOLOGY

The original meaning referred to getting wet by splashing and can be traced back to Middle English in the mid-1500s.

The modern sense of doing something superficially is first recorded in 1625.

(Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology)

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SYNONYMS

dally, diddle, fiddle with, flirt with, fool around with, toy with

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SMUGGLE OWAD INTO TODAY'S CONVERSATION
say something like:

"I've been dabbling in the stock market, but I don't think I will get rich any time soon."

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