on the dot

O

on the dot

Meaning | Synonyms

• exactly on time
• at a precise time
• punctually
• precisely
• promptly

Example Sentences

1. We were asked to be there at five on the dot.
2. The Metro train arrived at five o’clock on the dot.
3. Ruth came promptly on the dot of nine.
4. The birthday party will begin at 7 on the dot.
5. My daughter leaves for school at six on the dot at early morning.

Origin

The expression may have originated from the ancient “to a dot,” meaning “precisely” since the early 1700s – but no more heard nowadays.

In its current form, the idiom can be traced back to the 1900s.

For instance, American writer Rex Stout (noted for his detective fiction) used it frequently to describe his compulsively punctual detective Nero Wolfe as in Champagne for One first published in 1958:

“At six, on the dot as always, Wolfe entered.”

Time