▪ I. drawer1
(ˈdrɔːə(r))
[f. draw v. + -er1.]
1. One who draws; in various senses of the vb.
| a 1340 Hampole Psalter xviii. 13 Puttand away þe draghere til ill. 1483 Cath. Angl. 107/2 A Drawer, vector. 1537 Bible Josh. ix. 21 Hewers of wodd, and drawers of water. 1640 Remonstr. Troubles fr. Estates Scot. 20 The drawers of his Majesty to this action. 1781 P. Beckford in Blaine Encycl. Sports §1719 It is a modern fashion for the huntsman..to ride into the cover..but this proceeding is apt to render hounds bad drawers. 1838 De Morgan Ess. Probab. 58 Before the drawing was made, it was three to one that the drawer should go to the first urn. |
2. spec. One who draws liquor for customers; a tapster at a tavern. Also in comb., as beer-drawer.
| 1567 Triall Treas. (1850) 32 Drawer, let us have a pinte of whyte wine and borage. 1592 Shakes. Rom. & Jul. iii. i. 9. 1640 Canterbury Marriage Licences (MS.), John Williamson of Canterbury, Beeredrawer. 1750 Johnson Rambler No. 16 ¶5 Thundering to the drawer for another bottle. 1859 Dickens T. Two Cities ii. iv, Bring me another pint of this same wine, drawer. |
3. A name of operatives in various industries. Chiefly in comb., as straw-drawer, tube-drawer, wire-drawer.
spec. In a Coal pit: One who draws or hauls the coal from the face to the bottom of the shaft, a hauler. In Weaving: A woman who puts the warp into the splits or heddles; also, a woman who draws warps through the combs and reels. In Gasworks: A man who draws the coke out of the ovens. (Labour Commission's Glossary, 1894.)
| c 1400 Wyer drawer [see draught 18]. 1589 Pappe w. Hatchet 27 Weauers and Wierdrawers. 1722 De Foe Plague (Rtldg.) 126 Gold and Silverwyer-drawers. 1847 Nat. Encycl. I. 989 The toddy-drawer selects a tree of easy ascent. 1864 Jrnl. R. Agric. Soc. XXV. ii. 315 The straw drawers..purchase the straw in the bulk. 1883 Manch. Exam. 27 Nov. 5/5 As the getters can do nothing without the drawers, the mine is stopped. 1891 Daily News 23 Nov. 2/7 Metal rollers and tube drawers. 1894 Standard 5 Apr. 3/6 A number of loomers and drawers..met the employers in conference yesterday. |
4. One who draws a draft or bill of exchange.
| 1682 J. Scarlett Exchanges, The Drawer when he hath made his Bill, should make the Direction on the inside of it towards the left Hand. 1767 T. Hutchinson Hist. Mass. II. ii. 191 No merchants..would take bills, unless the drawers would make themselves responsible. 1867 Trollope Chron. Barset I. xl. 350 The drawer of the cheque had lost it, as he thought. |
5. One who makes a drawing; a draughtsman.
| 1579–80 North Plutarch (1676) 410 We will not allow the drawer to leave it out altogether. 1607 Topsell Four-f. Beasts (1658) 508 The drawer made the nostrils lesse then might answer the proportion of the face. 1705 W. Bosman Guinea 234 For the want of a good Drawer I cannot send you Draughts of all of them. 1832 J. Hodgson in Raine Mem. (1858) II. 289 A good drawer and surveyor. |
6. One who draws or drafts a legal document.
| 1776 Claim of Roy Rada Churn 19/1 The drawer of the affidavit. 1884 Ld. Bramwell in Law Rep. 9 App. Cases 465 The drawer of this Act of Parliament. 1892 Gladstone in Daily News 22 Oct. 5/7 The drawer of the paper..has made one omission. |
7. a. An instrument, tool, or agent for drawing; an extractor.
| 1536 Bellenden Cron. Scot. (1821) II. 511 Ane instrument of tre, like the drawer of ane wel. 1607 Topsell Four-f. Beasts (1658) 314 Open the rift with a rosenet or drawer. Ibid. 322 Get out the gravel with a cornet or drawer. 1610 Markham Masterp. ii. clxxiii. 491 Iuy is a great drawer, and opener. 1737 Bracken Farriery Impr. (1756) I. 187 Such Medicaments as are..stiled Ripeners or Drawers. |
b. Printing. = tympan 4.
| 1896 De Vinne Moxon's Mech. Exerc. Printing 410 The pasting down of the vellum on the inner side of the tympan (now known as the drawer). |
8. With adv. as drawer-in, drawer-on, drawer-out. drawer-off (in various trades: see Dict. Occup. Terms, 1921).
| c 1400 Test. Love i. Chaucer's Wks. (1561) 290 b/2 Thylke thinges been my drawers in. 1611 Cotgr., Retrayeur, a redeemer, a fetcher or drawer back of. 1614 W. B. Philosopher's Banquet (ed. 2) 18 The ayre is a great..drawer-on of health. 1847 Mrs. Gore Castles in Air v. (Stratm.), The drawer-up of my godfather's will. 1908 Westm. Gaz. 9 Oct. 3/1 ‘Drawers-off’ in saw-mills. |
▪ II. drawer2
(drɔːə(r))
[f. draw v.: cf. F. tiroir, f. tirer to draw.]
a. A box-shaped receptacle, fitting into a space in a cabinet or table, so that it can be drawn out horizontally in order to get access to it.
| 1580 Hollyband Treas. Fr. Tong, Vn escrin..a casket, a little chest, a drawer. 1583 ― Campo di Fior 145 Reache the cardes, which thou shalt finde in the drawer of the table. 1710 Steele Tatler No. 245 ¶2 A small Cabinet, with Six Drawers. 1855 Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. 251 All his bookcases and drawers were examined. |
b. pl. drawers = chest of drawers: a piece of furniture made to contain a number of drawers, arranged in tiers, and having usually a flat top, used as a writing-table, toilet-table, or the like.
| 1677–1859 Chest of drawers [see chest n.1 8]. 1697–9 W. Dampier Voy. an. 1688 (R.), Corners of drawers or cabinets. 1813 Examiner 8 Feb. 84/2 A suit of..clothes..happened to be on the drawers. 1850 Mrs. F. Vidal Orphan ii. 11, I moved away my pink ribbon off the drawers. |
c. attrib. Also drawerful.
| 1828 Miss Mitford Village Ser. iii. (1863) 513 A whole drawerful of skeins. 1850 Chubb Locks & Keys 14 A three-inch drawer-lock. 1919 G. B. Shaw Heartbreak House i. 23 He has a whole drawerful of Albert Medals. 1962 Sunday Express 8 July 15/3 Stockings..by the drawerful. |