dibs

[dibz] /dɪbz/
noun, Informal.
1.
money in small amounts.
2.
rights; claims:
I have dibs on the car when Jimmy brings it back.
Origin
1720-30; shortening of earlier dibstones a children's game; see dib

dib

[dib] /dɪb/
verb (used without object), dibbed, dibbing.
1.
to fish by letting the bait bob lightly on the water.
Origin
1600-10; expressive word akin to dab1, dip1, bob1, etc.
Examples from the web for dibs
  • She even got first dibs during the demolition, knocking down the door to the locker room with a single swing of a sledgehammer.
  • Communities will get first dibs on government transportation money.
British Dictionary definitions for dibs

dibs

/dɪbz/
plural noun
1.
another word for jacks
2.
a slang word for money
3.
(foll by on) (informal) rights (to) or claims (on): used mainly by children
Word Origin
C18: shortened from dibstones children's game played with knucklebones or pebbles, probably from dib to tap, dip, variant of dab1

dib

/dɪb/
verb dibs, dibbing, dibbed
1.
(intransitive) to fish by allowing the bait to bob and dip on the surface
Word Origin
C17: perhaps alteration of dab1
Word Origin and History for dibs

children's word to express a claim on something, 1932, originally U.S., apparently a contraction of dibstone "a knucklebone or jack in a children's game" (1690s), of unknown origin.

dib

see dibs.

Slang definitions & phrases for dibs

dibs

noun
  1. Money: How did you make your dibs? (1807+)
  2. (also dibs on) A claim; a preemptive declaration: It's mine, I said dibs first/ Dibs on the front seat

[perhaps fr dibstones, a children's game played with small bones or other counters]


dib

noun
  1. A share, esp a share of money: I ought to collect the kid's dib, too (1829+)
  2. A dollar: fifty sweet dibs (1930s+)

[probably fr divvy]


Related Abbreviations for dibs

DIB

device independent bitmap
Idioms and Phrases with dibs

dibs

see: have dibs on
Encyclopedia Article for dibs

game of great antiquity and worldwide distribution, now played with stones, bones, seeds, filled cloth bags, or metal or plastic counters (the jacks), with or without a ball. The name derives from "chackstones"-stones to be tossed. The knuckle, wrist, or ankle bones (astragals) of goats, sheep, or other animals also have been used in play. Such objects have been found in prehistoric caves in Kiev, Ukraine, and pictures of the game are depicted on jars from ancient Greece.

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