Dapping in nature, workshop practice, and in angling describes special examples of dipping, dabbing, or bouncing actions. The Oxford English Dictionary defined dap in part as follows: "daps" meaning "ways, modes of action"; hence in dialect, "likeness, image". A dap can be a bounce of a ball, etc. Correspondingly, as a verb, "dap" or "dape", is apparently parallel to "dab", the final "p" expressing a lighter touch. It can mean to fish by letting the bait dip and bob lightly onto the water. Also generally to rebound.
Currently the term "dapping" is not commonly used except in specific senses. It can refer to the metalworking techniques known as "sinking, and in angling as letting the bait or lure bob lightly and repetitively down onto the water surface in the manner of certain behaviour patterns of gracile flying insects such as crane flies, mayflies, or caddisflies and others.
In natural history dapping is the motion that many aquatic flying insects engage in when laying their eggs. Among those best known for such behaviour are some Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies), many Trichoptera (caddisflies), craneflies, mosquitoes, and Ephemeroptera (mayflies). This action is highly attractive to certain fishes, and anglers try to imitate the effect.
Other articles related to "dapping":
... Each member of the serving side must at the dapping of the ball stand with at least one foot within the marked line which joins the outer end of one sidewall to the outer end of the other ... The server, after dapping the ball (three daps only are allowed), must strike it so that it rebounds off the middle wall and falls outside the black line ... a side has scored twenty points, then the server in all following serves must cry 'game' on dapping the ball and must cry 'ball' on striking it ...
... is already upsetting staff and causing strikes, Dapping quickly regrets who she has put in charge ... Councillor Dapping only appears in the very first episode, and the series two episode "Safety First" in the latter she falls from a fire escape and injures herself, and is replaced by the harsher ...