on the dot
15
2.8
- idiom
- She arrived at the interview at 9:00 on the dot, impressing her future employer.
- o'clock on the dot
- eight on the dot
- P.M. on the dot
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Watch on YouTubeIn Germany, the meeting would start like at the hour on the dot.
- In Germany, the meeting would start like at the hour on the dot.
- Once the plant, once the seed germinates, is when that clock starts and it's not always right on the dot.
Examples
-
8:00 on the dot.
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At exactly nine on the dot, the tall figure of the cynic of Valdepinos came to the door.
Academic text (2007) -
When I say two minutes, I mean on the dot.
-
You get them at five on the dot.
Fiction book (1995) -
Who was there on the dot at 12 midnight?
-
Johnson entered the courtroom at 9 a.m. on the dot.
Academic text (1994) -
6:00 p.m. on the dot.
-
- I'll be there at seven o'clock on the dot.
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They came at me at 12:00 on the dot.
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3:30 on the dot.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
In a completely correct way
426
1.0
At the expected time
367
3.4
Show that something is exactly right or that you agree
65
1.0
Exactly at the stated time
46
1.2
At exactly the planned time
18
5.9
Exactly correct in every detail
2
5.8
Exactly correct in time or amount
1
3.5
At the exact time expected
Antonyms
How Punctual
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase combines 'on' (at) with 'dot' (a tiny spot), so the idea of being 'at a point' maps metaphorically onto a precise moment in time; this relation is inferable but relies on a spatial→temporal metaphor. Because the temporal sense of 'dot' is a figurative extension rather than a purely compositional meaning, a B1 learner might guess the general idea but would likely need confirmation or exposure to be fully confident.
Etymology
On the dot may come from old clocks and watches with a small dot or mark showing the exact minute. If something happened on the dot, it happened at that exact point on the clock face. So, the phrase means 'precisely on time'.