smack dab

or smack-dab

[ smak-dab ]

adverb

, Informal.

1. directly; squarely:

   smack dab in the middle.

Word History and Origins

Origin of smack dab¹

First recorded in 1890–95; smack ²( def ) (in the sense “directly, straight”) + dab ¹( def ) (in the sense “a quick, light blow,” used adverbially)

Example Sentences

On the first day of shooting, Kallai and his film crew found themselves smack-dab in the middle of a war zone.

From The Daily Beast

Now, they are smack dab in the middle of a GOP primary in Mississippi.

From The Daily Beast

The first U.S. case of MERS landed in Indiana—smack-dab in the heartland.

From The Daily Beast

Or take the settlement of Ariel, located smack-dab in the middle of the northern West Bank.

From The Daily Beast

As we wuz startin' home some monstrous thing riz up right smack dab in front ov us, not more'n 100 feet away.

From Project Gutenberg

Wouldnt do to go tearing off this pier, and run smack-dab into a trap.

From Project Gutenberg

And one froze in its landing glide and flew smack-dab into its landing field.

From Project Gutenberg