Emily Dickinson Lexicon

DAUB, v.t. [W. dwbiaw, to daub; dwb, mortar; Ir. dobhaimh, to daub; doib, plaster; allied probably to Fr. dauber, to strike, that is, to throw or put on, and the root of this word probably occurs contracted in the L. induo.]

1. To smear with soft adhesive matter; to plaster; to cover with mud, slime, or other soft substance. She took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch. – Ex. ii. I will break down the wall ye have daubed with untempered mortar. – Ezek. xiii.
2. To paint coarsely. If a picture is daubed with many bright colors, the vulgar admire it. – Watts.
3. To cover with something gross or specious; to disguise with an artificial covering. So smooth he daubed his vice with show of virtue. – Shak.
4. To lay or put on without taste; to deck awkwardly or ostentatiously, or to load with affected finery. Let him be daubed with lace. – Dryden.
5. To flatter grossly. Conscience will not daub nor flatter. – South.