ENGLISH
REFERENCE

dash down

phr. v..
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford

phr. v.. to write something very quickly because you are in a hurry.

phr. v.. to record information in writing with great haste and often without concern for neatness or detail.


SIMPLE

I need to dash down her phone number before I forget it.

CONTEXTUAL

He managed to dash down a few notes during the meeting before the speaker moved to the next slide.

COMPLEX

The poet was known to dash down verses on napkins whenever inspiration struck him in the middle of a meal.

Particles
down
Separability
optional
Pattern
dash + object + down
Usage

usually takes a noun like 'notes', 'a message', or 'a few words' as its object.

Teaching tip

contrast with 'jot down' (which implies brevity) and 'scribble' (which implies messiness); 'dash down' emphasizes the speed and urgency of the action.

Pitfall

He dashed down it.He dashed it down.when using a pronoun like 'it', it must come between the verb and the particle in this separable phrasal verb.

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