DOT Idiom

on the dot

exactly on time, not early or late The concert started at 7:30 on the dot.

dotty

1. feeble-minded; slightly crazy
2. see also dotty about

dotty about

extremely fond of

sign on the dotted line

Idiom(s): sign on the dotted line

Theme: LEGAL

to place one's signature on a contract or other important paper.
• This agreement isn't properly concluded until we both sign on the dotted line.
• Here are the papers for the purchase of your car. As soon as you sign on the dotted line, that beautiful, shiny automobile will be all yours!

Connect the dots

When you connect the dots, you understand the connections and relationships.

Dot all the i's and cross all the t's

If you dot all the i's and cross all the t's, you do something very carefully and thoroughly.

dot the i's and cross the t's|cross|dot|i|t

v. phr. To be careful, thorough, and pay close attention to detail. "The best way to get an A on the final exam," the teacher said, "is for every one to dot the i's and cross the t's."
Compare: MIND ONE'S P'S AND Q'S.

on the dot|button|dot|on|on the button

adv. phr., informal Exactly on time; not early and not late. Susan arrived at the party at 2:00 P.M. on the dot. Ben's plane arrived on the dot.

sign on the dotted line|dotted line|line|sign

v. phr. To attach one's signature on an important document, such as a contract, a bill of sales, etc. The seller said to the buyer, "All you need to do is sign on the dotted line."

dot

dot
In addition to the idiom beginning with dot, also see on the dot; sign on the dotted line.

dot the i's and cross the t's

dot the i's and cross the t's
Be meticulous and precise, fill in all the particulars, as in Laura had dotted all the i's and crossed the t's, so she wondered what she'd done wrong. This expression presumably began as an admonition to schoolchildren to write carefully and is sometimes shortened. William Makepeace Thackeray had it in a magazine article (Scribner's Magazine, 1849): “I have . . . dotted the i's.” [Mid-1800s]