n. - bird with short legs, a small head, and a large breast.

- gentle or innocent person.

- advocate of peace or peaceful policies. [old norse]

in the mouth adj. Looking unhappy.

- payment n. Partial initial payment.

- under adv. Colloq. In the antipodes, esp. Australia.

- —adv. - into or towards a lower place, esp. To the ground (fall down).

- in a lower place or position (blinds were down).

- to or in a place regarded as lower, esp.: a southwards. B away from a major city or a university.

- a in or into a low or weaker position or condition (hit a man when he's down; down with a cold). B losing by (three goals down; £5 down). C (of a computer system) out of action.

- from an earlier to a later time (down to 1600).

- to a finer or thinner consistency or smaller amount or size (grind down; water down; boil down).

- cheaper (bread is down; shares are down).

- into a more settled state (calm down).

- in writing or recorded form (copy it down; down on tape; down to speak next). 10 paid or dealt with as a deposit or part (£5 down, £20 to pay; three down, six to go). 11 with the current or wind. 12 (of a crossword clue or answer) read vertically (five down). —prep. - downwards along, through, or into.

- from the top to the bottom of.

- along (walk down the road).

- at or in a lower part of (lives down the road). —attrib. Adj. - directed downwards (a down draught).

- from a capital or centre (down train; down platform). —v. Colloq. - knock or bring down.

- swallow. —n. - act of putting down.

- reverse of fortune (ups and downs).

- colloq.

- n. - open rolling land.

- (in pl.) Chalk uplands, esp. In s. England. [old english]

—v. (-zing) sleep lightly; be half asleep. —n. Short light sleep. doze off fall lightly asleep. [origin unknown]

adj. (-ier, -iest) 1 drowsy.

- colloq. Stupid or lazy.

adj. (drabber, drabbest) 1 dull, uninteresting.

- of a dull brownish colour. drably adv. Drabness n. [obsolete drap cloth]

queen n. Slang derog. Male homosexual transvestite.

- —v. (-gg-) 1 pull along with effort.

- a trail or allow to trail along the ground. B (often foll. By on) (of time, a meeting, etc.) Go or pass slowly or tediously.

- a use a grapnel. B search the bottom of (a river etc.) With grapnels, nets, etc.

- (often foll. By to) colloq. Take (an esp. Unwilling person) with one.

- (foll. By on, at) draw on (a cigarette etc.). —n. - a obstruction to progress. B retarding force or motion.

- colloq. Boring or tiresome person, duty, etc.

- a lure before hounds as a substitute for a fox. B hunt using this.

- apparatus for dredging.

- = *drag-net.

- slang inhalation.

- slang women's clothes worn by men. drag one's feet be deliberately slow or reluctant to act. Drag in introduce (an irrelevant subject). Drag out protract. Drag up colloq. Introduce or revive (an unwelcome subject). [old english or old norse]

n. - small drink of spirits, esp. Whisky.

- = *drachm. [latin drama: related to *drachm]

colloq. —v. (-tt-) (usu. As int.) Curse (drat the thing!). —int. Expressing anger or annoyance. dratted adj. [(go)d rot]

—v. (past drew; past part. Drawn) 1 pull or cause to move towards or after one.

- pull (a thing) up, over, or across.

- pull (curtains etc.) Open or shut.

- take (a person) aside.

- attract; bring; take in (drew a deep breath; felt drawn to her; drew my attention; drew a crowd).

- (foll. By at, on) inhale from (a cigarette, pipe, etc.).

- (also absol.) Take out; remove (a tooth, gun, cork, card, etc.).

- obtain or take from a source (draw a salary; draw inspiration; drew £100 out).

- a (also absol.) Make (a line or mark). B produce (a picture) thus. C represent (something) thus. 10 (also absol.) Finish (a contest or game) with equal scores. 11 proceed (drew near the bridge; draw to a close; drew level). 12 infer (a conclusion).

n. Low cart without sides for heavy loads, esp. Beer-barrels. [related to *draw]