blot vs dab

blot

verb
  • to soak up or absorb liquid. 

  • to cause a blot (on something) by spilling a coloured substance. 

  • To obliterate, as writing with ink; to cancel; to efface; generally with out. 

  • To dry (writing, etc.) with blotting paper. 

  • To spot, stain, or bespatter, as with ink. 

  • To obscure; to eclipse; to shadow. 

  • To impair; to damage; to mar; to soil. 

  • To stain with infamy; to disgrace. 

noun
  • A stain on someone's reputation or character; a disgrace. 

  • An exposed piece in backgammon. 

  • A blemish, spot or stain made by a coloured substance. 

  • A method of transferring proteins, DNA or RNA, onto a carrier. 

dab

verb
  • To apply a substance in this way. 

  • To apply hash oil to a heated surface for the purpose of efficient combustion. 

  • To strike by a thrust; to hit with a sudden blow or thrust. 

  • To press lightly in a repetitive motion with a soft object without rubbing. 

  • To perform the dab dance move, by moving both arms to one side of the body parallel with your head. 

adv
  • With a dab, or sudden contact. 

noun
  • A small amount of hash oil. 

  • A soft tap or blow; a blow or peck from a bird's beak; an aimed blow. 

  • A small amount, a blob of some soft or wet substance. 

  • One skilful or proficient; an expert; an adept. 

  • A soft, playful box given in greeting or approval. 

  • A sand dab, a small flatfish of genus Citharichthys. 

  • A small flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae, especially Limanda limanda; a flounder. 

  • A hip hop dance move in which the dancer simultaneously drops the head while raising an arm, briefly resting their face in the elbow, as if sneezing into their elbow. 

How often have the words blot and dab occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )