What does draw mean

Crossword clues for draw

draw

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English

draw

I.verb

COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES

a (big) box office draw (=a successful actor who many people will pay to see)

a prize drawBritish English (= a competition in which people whose names or tickets are chosen by chance win prizes)

▪ He won the car in a prize draw.

an outline drawing/sketch

▪ Once I am happy with the outline sketch, I start painting.

attract/draw a crowd

▪ The ceremony is expected to draw a crowd of more than 1,000.

attract/draw sb/sth like a magnet

▪ She drew men to her like a magnet.

attract/draw tourists

▪ They hope to change the image of the city and attract more tourists.

blinds...drawn (=pulled down)

▪ The blinds were drawn to protect the new furniture from the sun.

devise/formulate/draw up a plan (=make a detailed plan, especially after considering something carefully)

▪ He devised a daring plan to steal two million dollars.

▪ The company has already drawn up plans to develop the site.

draw a chequeformal (= use a cheque to withdraw money from an account)

▪ Customers can draw cheques for any amount they like on their accounts.

draw a comparison (=say in what way people or things are similar)

▪ People have drawn comparisons between this movie and those of Quentin Tarantino.

draw a conclusion (=decide something from what you learn or see)

▪ We tried not to draw any conclusions too early in the investigation.

draw a contrast (=say there is a contrast)

▪ It is tempting to draw sharp contrasts between religion and science.

draw a gameBritish English (= end the game with the same score as the opposing team or player)

▪ We played badly and were lucky to draw the game.

draw a graph

▪ Draw a graph to show changes in the death rate over this period.

draw a map

▪ He drew me a map of the route.

draw a match (=finish with the score even)

▪ United have drawn their last two matches.

draw an outline

▪ First, I draw out the outline of the leaf onto paper, and start adding areas of colour.

draw blood (=make someone bleed)

▪ He touched me with the knife and it drew blood.

draw breathwritten (= breathe)

▪ I hid behind the door, hardly daring to draw breath.

draw parallels

▪ books that attempt to draw parallels between brains and computers

draw the line

▪ Sometimes he found it hard to draw the line between work and pleasure.

draw to an end (=to reach the end)

▪ My holiday was drawing to an end.

draw up a contract (=write one)

▪ The two sides drew up a contract.

draw up a petition (=prepare one)

▪ They are drawing up a petition which will be presented to the Archbishop.

draw up a proposal

▪ A committee of experts drew up proposals for a constitution.

draw up/compile a shortlist

▪ The panel will draw up a shortlist of candidates.

draw up/draft a constitution (=write one)

▪ The American constitution was drafted in 1787.

draw up/issue guidelines

▪ The hospital has issued new guidelines on the treatment of mentally ill patients.

draw up/lay down a code (=create one)

▪ The syndicate decided to draw up a code of conduct for its members.

draw up/produce a checklist (=make one)

▪ Why not draw up a checklist of things you want to achieve this year?

draw your pension (=receive it)

▪ He's got another ten years before he draws his pension.

draw yourself upright (=stand straighter)

▪ Susan drew herself upright and thrust out her chin.

draw/attract/provoke criticism (=be criticized)

▪ The plan has drawn criticism from some groups.

draw/bring a response from sb

▪ The appeal for aid brought a big response from the West.

draw/close/pull the curtains (=close them)

▪ The room was dark because the curtains were drawn.

draw/derive comfort from sthformal (= take comfort from sth)

▪ Economists have been quick to draw comfort from the latest figures.

drawing board

▪ The current system just isn’t working – we need to go back to the drawing board and start afresh.

drawing pin

drawing power

drawing room

drawing to a close (=ending)

▪ The monsoon season was drawing to a close.

draw/make an analogy (=make a comparison)

▪ She drew an analogy between childbirth and the creative process.

draw/make inferences (about/from sth)

▪ What inferences have you drawn from this evidence?

draw/paint a picture

▪ She drew a picture of a mushroom on the blackboard.

draws nigh (=will start soon)

▪ Winter draws nigh .

draw/take/derive inspiration from sth (=get inspiration)

▪ She draws inspiration from mythology and folk stories.

drew abreast

▪ As the car drew abreast of him, Jack suddenly recognised the driver.

drew near

▪ We heard voices as we drew near the village.

drew up alongside

▪ A car drew up alongside.

drew...aside

▪ Mark drew me aside and explained the problem.

freehand drawing/sketch

gain/draw strength from sb/sth

▪ He gained strength from being back with the people and things he loved.

get/draw support

▪ The plan drew wide support from parents.

hold/draw sb close (=hold someone against your body)

▪ He drew her close to him.

line drawing

make/draw up/write a list

▪ Could you make a list of any supplies we need?

open/draw (back)/pull back the curtains (=open them)

▪ Would you mind opening the curtains?

open/pull down/draw the blinds

pull on/drag on/draw on a cigarette (=smoke a cigarette with deep breaths)

▪ Ed was leaning out of the window and dragging on a cigarette.

pull/draw up a chair (=move a chair nearer someone or something)

▪ Pull up a chair and look at these pictures.

raise/arouse/draw sb’s ire (=make someone angry)

▪ The proposal has drawn the ire of local residents.

score draw

sth draws to a halt (=a vehicle slows down and stops)

▪ As the train drew to a halt, people started to get off.

take/draw encouragement from sth

▪ We drew encouragement from the letters we received from well-wishers.

win/draw/receive etc plaudits

▪ Her performance won plaudits from the critics.

write/draw up/prepare a draft (=write one)

▪ Always write a rough draft of your essay first.

▪ He drew up a draft of the club’s rules and regulations.

COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS

■ ADVERB

back

▪ Martin, eyes glaring and lips drawn back in a feral snarl.

▪ He went quickly through the house to the front room and drew back the curtains.

▪ Her eyes opened slowly as he drew back.

▪ The armies drew back on either side and in the space between, Paris and Menelaus faced each other.

▪ His fist clenched and drew back.

▪ Ralph drew back his window curtain, moved his desk so that the sun kept his tea warm.

▪ A spear point cut through her fur robes, pierced her skin, then drew back.

▪ Within a very short time, she heard the sounds of bolts being drawn back.

closer

▪ As we drew closer, everybody else slowed down and eventually stopped.

▪ In this respect, beef is beginning to draw closer to the natural quality of buffalo.

▪ As Tamar's time drew closer, she remembered the difficult labour of Victoria's birth and grew more and more apprehensive.

▪ Indeed, as we draw closer, our information is confirmed by the chipped and faded lettering on the front window.

▪ Possibly, as war drew closer, the police wanted some pretext to keep Joyce on their books.

▪ The scuff of heavy boots drew closer.

▪ She began to writhe as they drew closer still, gasping and moaning as her hips matched the rhythm of his demands.

▪ As we are drawn closer we become further entangled in his web of deceit.

heavily

▪ This approach draws heavily from the insights of Gramsci, Lukacs and Adorno.

▪ Yet they fought allowing women to compete for opportunity in the select academies from which the leadership is so heavily drawn.

▪ This chapter draws heavily on the best known and most detailed model of cohesion available.

▪ His books draw heavily on his experiences as a therapist.

▪ The National and the Boat Race draw heavily on tradition.

▪ There was a deep financial connection between the two: Both drew heavily on the willingness of investors to speculate in bonds.

▪ His work on social capital and civic engagement has been heavily drawn upon by Francis Fukuyama and others.

▪ The Wyvern production has drawn heavily on local talent.

▪ Like some bloody simpleton he was being drawn in.

▪ The fewer we became, the more strongly we had to support each other and draw in.

▪ Hood: a well-shaped hood gives maximum head cover when the hood is drawn in tightly.

▪ Outside the evening is drawing in already.

▪ At the next intersection he drew in against the left-hand wall, peering around the corner into the corridor to his left.

▪ Cooking works by conduction, as heat from the surface is drawn in.

▪ Outlines and details are drawn in with a Rotring pen.

▪ A pathfinder programme under the Private Finance Initiative should draw in even more.

near

▪ As she drew near, she called out and asked me the time.

▪ As lunch-time drew near I decided to let the children listen to the music while they were having their meal.

▪ As we drew near and I watched 747 after 747 climbing laboriously into the clouds, I wondered what fate befell me.

▪ As the pair drew near he turned and fled.

▪ As midnight draws near, many people make their way to church.

▪ The bailiff directed all to draw near and give their attendance, promising that they would be heard.

▪ The roar of the crackling fire drew near and doom seemed inevitable.

▪ One man fell to his knees as the Archbishop drew near.

▪ He wrote one or two nostalgic short stories about the pangs of love, drawing on past memories and exaggerating them.

▪ They draw on and, in so doing, recharge the powerful myth of blood connection, shared blood connection.

▪ The day drew on, and Tagan scouted ahead to look for a possible camping site.

▪ There is certainly no lack of material to draw on.

▪ It made coping with locally severe unemployment difficult, since only the resources of the rate-paying parishioners could be drawn on.

▪ Half the profits are deposited in a corporate account that can be drawn on only with stockholder consent.

▪ The intention, as always, is that sections should be drawn on as required.

▪ This, with all their friends to draw on for conversation.

out

▪ A malleable metal can be beaten into a sheet whereas a ductile metal can be drawn out into a wire.

▪ Drain off the water that has been drawn out.

▪ The door irised open and he reached inside, drawing out the tiny phial before the door closed up again.

▪ She raised her eyebrows and drew out a hank of hair, backing slowly away from me.

▪ Long drawn out and unpredictable as the process may be, it has one great advantage for the policy-maker.

▪ Staff will draw out a length of any roll for inspection.

▪ Orange flame drew out and broadened.

▪ The proto-underground drew out the proto-glitterati.

together

▪ She was wretchedly conscious of Rohan watching her, his brows drawn together in frowning concentration.

▪ And in battle, you are all drawn together.

▪ This issue of the Community Development Journal draws together articles about health and health care around the central theme of control.

▪ In the room splashed with golden autumn light, they had drawn together, as close as eggs in a nest.

▪ An incident occurred during one session when the children were drawing together.

▪ We can return to these questions now, and draw together the strands of the preceding argument.

▪ My own argument I will draw together in the conclusion.

▪ In March, Emap Digital was formed into a separate division drawing together Emap's established internet presence in one focused organisation.

▪ The fixed dose mixtures are certainly useful for patients who are unable or unwilling to draw up two different insulins.

▪ The Metropolitan Transportation Commission is drawing up a list of projects.

▪ Codes of conduct were beginning to emerge and a range of permissible and impermissible subjects was being informally drawn up.

▪ He gathered his fingers into paws, drew up his arms and legs.

▪ Even drawing up proposals for recycling waste materials in Britain requires ten sub-committees.

▪ Marshall drew up a chair for her.

▪ Some of them are involved in drawing up legislation which is based on the new communication policy.

▪ Newcomers shine McHale has already drawn up a list of possible transfer targets.

■ NOUN

analogy

▪ Oresme even drew an analogy with what would happen on a moving ship, as Galileo was later to do.

▪ Here we may draw an analogy between geriatrics and paediatrics, another age-based medical specialism.

▪ We can perhaps draw a useful analogy with pharmaceutical products.

attention

▪ Critics of Berhn and Kay's scheme have drawn attention to the problems inherent in their notion of basic.

▪ It was the adventure and the daring that drew their attention.

▪ At this important stage, we would like to draw attention to some particular concerns.

▪ No brilliant tactical moves to draw attention from the players.

▪ The hon. Gentleman draws attention to the non-proliferation treaty.

▪ For some reason the rumpled appearance of the hat drew my attention.

▪ The scheme draws attention to the main problem faced by most university crèche schemes: money.

▪ He can also use the election to draw attention to his agenda.

blood

▪ Blood banks must balance hospitals' need for blood with the need to draw blood only from healthy, relatively risk-free volunteers.

▪ It was vicious, and it drew blood.

▪ It should be exercised so hard, so incessantly, that it swells in effort and draws all your blood!

▪ It was the Kings who drew early blood racing into an eight two lead.

▪ As a Manila barrio streetfighter, he had drawn more blood than Dracula in a year of Halloween nights.

▪ They vary from superficial scratches to full-thickness lacerations, but almost invariably draw blood.

▪ He set immediately to work cutting and eating the chop, drawing the blood away from his brain.

breath

▪ Benedict drew a hissing breath, and pulled up his horses, his eyes never leaving hers.

▪ Ah said Mr van der Luyden, drawing a deep breath.

▪ He drew a deep breath and headed for the nearest parked car.

▪ I had simply come upon them after they drew in one breath and before they took another.

▪ He drew in a sharp breath, his stooped shoulders almost straightening.

▪ The Campbell drew a deep breath.

▪ She drew in her breath sharply and bit down hard on her bottom lip in an effort not to cry out.

▪ Both the Paviours were stiffening in appalled disbelief, even young Lawrence had drawn a hissing breath of doubt.

chair

▪ Rourke went over to her and drew her towards a chair.

▪ Marshall drew up a chair for her.

▪ He drew a chair up to the bed and played one of the poker hands.

▪ He hovered with a nervous half-smile as the waiter drew out Lucy's chair and seated her.

▪ In the funereal chill Vassily drew up a chair and poured us both a drink.

▪ When they reached the cafe, Zeinab drew up a chair beside Hargazy.

▪ Lunch was set on the terrace, as he'd promised, and Luce let him draw out a chair for her.

close

▪ As training drew to a close, a delicious smile suddenly appeared on Nick Mallett's face.

▪ The long gray afternoon drew to a close.

▪ It is more a mode of address for a slightly iffy constitutional compromise that is drawing peacefully towards its close.

▪ My time with Stark was drawing to a close.

▪ As the 1860s drew to a close, Kansas effectively put its violent heritage behind; change accelerated by leaps and bounds.

▪ John Champagne and Bob Guadiana grabbed their chance to lead the way as 1991 drew to a close.

▪ With the announcement of Daimler, the 77-year existence of Fokker appears to be drawing to a close.

▪ The year 1995 drew to a close on a fitting note.

comparison

▪ Three years ago there was hardly a young black cinema at all, now critics are drawing comparisons as if bored with the idea.

▪ More recently, even liberal commentators have begun drawing comparisons between Clinton and Nixon.

▪ It is also clear that it is difficult to draw comparisons between the Western Isles and the developing countries.

▪ What then are the main conclusions about comparative politics that can be drawn from this cursory comparison to natural science?

▪ Not surprisingly therefore, he drew comparisons between the problems faced by the University and those confronting his own establishment.

▪ It should be possible to draw international comparisons.

▪ Table 3.4 draws some comparisons between their liabilities.

conclusion

▪ The policy conclusions drawn from the simpler model will also still follow.

▪ Kvitne said no conclusions could be drawn from that, but it illustrates the unique nature of head injuries.

▪ As with the origins of many other events no definite conclusions can be drawn.

▪ But quite soon different conclusions were drawn from this than Moore's.

▪ The only general conclusions that can be drawn from indifference analysis are the following: 1.

▪ This aggregate supply curve is of fundamental importance to the macroeconomic policy conclusions often drawn from the rational expectations hypothesis.

▪ In the face of this evidence, no conclusion should be drawn either way at present.

criticism

▪ O'Leary was elected chairman and he immediately drew criticism on the committee.

▪ That measure drew sharp criticism from Gov.

▪ The influential role played by President Francesco Cossiga in events leading to Andreotti's resignation drew criticism from some political quarters.

▪ But while Mr Mitterrand won praise and respect abroad, he often drew sharp criticism at home, especially from conservative commentators.

▪ Her decision drew strong criticism from environmental groups, nuclear non-proliferation activists and some members of Congress.

▪ The urban renewal administrative process drew considerable criticism because it was so long and encumbered with red tape.

▪ The failure to order a criminal investigation drew immediate criticism from several policyholders' lawyers.

crowd

▪ The railway draws a strange crowd before morning.

▪ One company has set up a full-size working carousel to draw a crowd.

▪ Any tumultuous exterior I offer is merely to draw the crowds.

▪ Its summer concerts, featuring such stars as Harry Belafonte and Boz Scaggs, draw crowds.

▪ It drew the crowds, I guess.

▪ The Legionnaires march drew a large crowd of veterans, their families and some students.

▪ Three years old and already drawing crowds.

curtain

▪ He showed them into the lounge and drew the threadbare curtains before switching on the light.

▪ If at that moment my ancient stately lily pad had been able to draw her bed curtains, she surely would have.

▪ Sir George drew the curtains, and motioned Roland and Maud to sit down by the fire, in the velvet chairs.

▪ Fascinated, she drew open the curtains to let in more light.

▪ He had scarcely had time to draw the curtains when there was a small, familiar tap at the door.

▪ He went quickly through the house to the front room and drew back the curtains.

▪ He moved to one of the windows to draw the curtains, but before doing so he peered out.

distinction

▪ One classificatory device that has been used frequently draws distinctions between church, denomination, and sect and cult.

▪ However, if your company does not draw this distinction, the entire reimbursement is considered wages.

▪ The key was to draw as firm a distinction as possible between the mirza and ordinary folk.

▪ Some Republicans believe Dole can draw a clear enough distinction with Clinton to make foreign policy a telling issue in the campaign.

▪ Among birds, where does one draw the distinction between short beaks and medium sized beaks?

▪ It is now commonplace to draw a distinction between care in and care by the community.

▪ Hybrid zones show how hard it is to draw a distinction between the two.

▪ The text of the Convention drew no distinction between evidence obtained from third parties and that obtained from litigants themselves.

experience

▪ These Rape Crisis groups usually draw extensively on the experience and sense of priorities of women who have been raped.

▪ Fathers draw naturally on their experience with their own fathers, although not always with satisfactory effect.

▪ Gil Benson draws on his experience.

▪ Men have always drawn on their experience in organized athletics to meet the challenges of a competitive workplace.

▪ Also considers the potential for car-free housing, drawing on experience from Bremen, Amsterdam and Edinburgh.

▪ Naturally, most draw on their personal experiences.

▪ It has also drawn upon the experience of two of its members in broadcasting and recording.

▪ And they are drawing on their own experience as past lawmakers and policy setters.

fact

▪ If not, the reference to the terms should at least draw attention to the fact that the terms contain exclusion clauses.

▪ Either way, the rest of us can draw comfort from the fact that all these experts are befuddled, too.

▪ The Republicans drew comfort from the fact that trends of opinion had, for some time, been moving in their direction.

▪ Insertion and side sequences draw attention to the fact that conversation is discourse mutually constructed and negotiated in time.

▪ The Marxist Left drew attention to the fact that the sources of industrial conflict were just as explosive as ever.

line

▪ I draw the line at that!

▪ Ask a student volunteer to draw a line down the middle of one side without taking the pencil off the paper.

▪ Where and how do we draw a line between ontological existents and fictions?

▪ I fell in with those who drew the line at violence.

▪ Planning and controlling are so intertwined that it is artificial to draw rigid lines between them.

▪ They draw a line that the public, according tothe polls, rejects.

▪ He admitted drawing the dividing line will be hard.

▪ As huntress she both preserves and destroys game animals, but she does not draw the line at animals.

lines

▪ How would he draw his lines in our home at Christmas?

▪ The motion of the sea was always there, and there were no firmly drawn lines.

▪ Q&A lets you draw boxes and lines on your document and do the usual text enhancements, like bold, italic and so on.

▪ But so many people I knew then drew no lines at all.

▪ Planning and controlling are so intertwined that it is artificial to draw rigid lines between them.

▪ The traditional organizational chart with divisions, departments, and sections drawn along functional lines may cease to exist.

▪ The budget proposed by Wilson could draw new battle lines.

list

▪ A mathematician, he and his care manager drew up a list of 12 unmet needs.

▪ The Metropolitan Transportation Commission is drawing up a list of projects.

▪ It is not possible to draw up an exhaustive list of matters that may legitimately be taken into account.

▪ Have you even tried to draw up a list of the actions you have to perform regularly to succeed?

▪ Although managers have drawn up a list of personalities who could be invited to open the centre, identities were not revealed.

▪ He had drawn up the list of church members and he maintained the other lists too.

▪ Newcomers shine McHale has already drawn up a list of possible transfer targets.

▪ We can draw up a full list of patients so that every bed is filled every night.

map

▪ Democritus drew up a map along these lines.

▪ When it comes to drawing a road map of the brain, disease is often the best cartographer.

▪ When William Senior drew his map of c.1635 Chesterfield had still not expanded beyond its medieval limits.

▪ For science, students drew maps of the nearby river, studied its ecosystem, and investigated animals in the area.

▪ The range of values taken on by the variable is divided into a number of classes before the map is drawn.

▪ I drew maps and flowcharts of the events and stood people up and marched them through key scenes.

▪ He drew him another map and watched Blunset wander off into the darkness.

▪ The Home Guard had drawn him a map of how to get to Maryhill, and he was quite happy now.

parallel

▪ Mather draws some interesting parallels between the development of agricultural systems and that of forestry.

▪ John Mortimer made the presentation speech, drawing parallels between Dickens and Dostoevsky.

▪ The cartoon draws a false parallel between two events.

▪ Early twentieth-century sociologists also drew parallels between the workings of biological and social systems, some of which were extremely crude.

picture

▪ Repeated commissions and zemstvo investigations drew a grim picture of peasant destitution and growing frustration.

▪ You might encourage them by drawing a picture of a playground slide.

▪ She has also drawn and painted pictures of her experiences.

▪ I just draw pictures or whatever and think about other things.

▪ Letters and words are peculiarly human manifestations, so let's make the computer draw pictures instead.

▪ Alternatively, the students could draw pictures rather than write stories and present their pictures to the class.

▪ To help you complete this plan, try to draw a picture that you will associate with your goal.

▪ They inspire so much you want to draw pictures like Sis'.

plan

▪ Together, drawing up a training plan which gives adequate opportunity for working as a group, as well as identifying individual training needs.

▪ Anticipating the possibility of such a crisis, G Group several months earlier had drawn up a contingency plan.

▪ Scientists are now drawing up plans to clean up the mess.

▪ The draftsman no longer draws his plans.

▪ It will draw up these plans in the light of national policies and local priorities and resources.

▪ The government made counties keep track of all waste produced in their areas and draw up disposal plans.

▪ The district councils being usually responsible for drawing up detailed local plans in accordance with policies defined in the structure plans.

▪ He set about drawing up a rescue plan amid a political storm that resulted in the resignation of two cabinet ministers.

proposal

▪ Even drawing up proposals for recycling waste materials in Britain requires ten sub-committees.

▪ Formation of constitutional commission A commission to draw up proposals for changes to the 1947 Constitution was established on Sept. 9.

▪ Although the Commission drew up proposals, adopted by the Council in June 1980, no conferences have been held since.

sword

▪ Sharpe slowed to a walk and drew his sword.

▪ He drew his sword, his only weapon now, and rushed upon his enemy.

▪ He drew his sword and, with a smooth overarm throw, completely failed to hit the troll.

▪ Menelaus drew his sword, his only weapon now, but as he did so it fell from his hand broken.

▪ The barbarian had vaulted down into the heather and had drawn the black sword, Kring.

▪ While the others set forth food for him, Boreas' sons took their stand beside him with drawn swords.

▪ Ramsay's lance snapped off, broken, and left his right arm and hand too numb to draw his sword.

▪ He drew his sword and plunged it into his side.

PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES

(go) back to the drawing board

▪ Voters rejected the bridge expansion plan, so it's back to the drawing board for city engineers.

▪ For San Jose, it was back to the drawing board.

▪ So Superman, once the most recognized and revered hero in comic books, was sent back to the drawing board.

▪ Sometimes, you also have to go back to the drawing board.

▪ The Cta episode has therefore sent the whole idea of direct dating of petroglyphs back to the drawing board.

▪ They must go back to the drawing board and review the whole of youth training.

▪ They want to see the road plan sent back to the drawing board.

▪ You also could go back to the drawing board with that budget, trying to reduce costs.

▪ You have to discard the propeller engine and go back to the drawing board.

be at daggers drawn

▪ In practice they are at daggers drawn as the furore over Tom Clarke's pronouncements on the subject this week amply illustrates.

▪ The prospect of an interesting friendship had been destroyed and now they were at daggers drawn.

be drawn/pulled/picked out of the/a hat

be quick on the draw

▪ Amy was very quick on the draw in her interview.

divert/distract/draw attention from sth

▪ But his banter was a way of distracting attention from the issue at hand.

▪ Combine roses with earlier or later flowering plants, and with evergreens to distract attention from their leafless stems in winter.

▪ It also distracted attention from the continued effects of racism.

▪ Lisa tells us it diverts attention from the pain.

▪ Police said the message was a decoy to distract attention from the real danger area.

▪ Such comments have distracted attention from a long-awaited improvement in the economy.

▪ The authorities are said to take the view that the Gulf war will distract attention from civilian casualties in Jaffna.

▪ They know how to make themselves look good, and they also know how to divert attention from the less flattering stories.

draw a bead on sb/sth

▪ My adversary raised and very deliberately drew a bead on me.

draw a veil over sth

▪ His brain drew a veil over the sickening consequences.

▪ The food is dumpling-based, substantial, and it would be kinder to draw a veil over the indigenous wine lake.

draw near

▪ Madge drew a little nearer so that she could hear what he was saying.

▪ Summer vacation is drawing near.

▪ The rebels hoped that many of the government troops would join them when they drew near to the city.

▪ The two men were talking, but as we drew near they turned and stared at us.

▪ As he drew near she made a half-hearted move to rise.

▪ As midnight draws near, many people make their way to church.

▪ As she drew near, she called out and asked me the time.

▪ As the pair drew near he turned and fled.

▪ Lebed is convinced his time is drawing near.

▪ The bailiff directed all to draw near and give their attendance, promising that they would be heard.

▪ The campaign for book buyers' dollars is heating up again this summer, as the political conventions draw near.

▪ They drew near the bed and stared down at the boy who lay there sleeping in its drifts of tumbling lace.

draw/call attention to sth

▪ Both of these draw attention to the urgent need to provide better opportunities and facilities to encourage walking and cycling.

▪ Darwin knew these things perfectly well, and drew attention to them.

▪ Despite many advantages, such a definition fails to draw attention to the unifying characteristics of pragmatic phenomena.

▪ My hon. Friend rightly draws attention to the benefits of Community co-operation.

▪ One can merely draw attention to the problem here, for local arrangements were complex and varied.

▪ Richard Hodges has drawn attention to the beginnings of this process in the post-Roman period with the establishment of emporia.

▪ The feminine voice at the start of the Shipman's Tale is a conundrum that draws attention to the teller.

▪ Wearing sunglasses indoors is pretty much guaranteed to draw attention to you.

draw/cast lots

▪ It is a curious turn around from the days when bondholders pleased to be bought out and were driving to drawing lots!

▪ She took it thoughtfully like some one choosing a straw when drawing lots.

▪ The players alternate between the white and black pieces and draw lots to determine who plays white in today's first game.

▪ Then we drew lots to decide the order in which we should improvise, night by night.

▪ They also took turns administering the city-state, drawing lots to settle who would take on which job.

▪ They drew lots to decide which should first seize his lady, and fortune favored Ephialtes.

▪ Was it to be done by casting lots?

draw/get the short straw

▪ Rose had drawn the short straw, and was thus forced to seek Lord Westbourne clasping the Romanov dagger.

draw/pull in your horns

▪ However, it now plans to draw in its horns in anticipation of declining demand for farm machinery by cutting back production.

on the drawing board

▪ Additional programs in international studies and telecommunications were on the drawing board.

▪ Parisians remain unconvinced that the project will be approved, especially since it is not the only idea on the drawing board.

▪ Plans also are on the drawing board to develop chips for the cable industry.

▪ The balancing of these main curves is done on the drawing board.

▪ Until that changes, the Tobin tax will remain on the drawing board.

take/draw sb to one side

▪ Eventually Johnny drew him to one side with a shock-haired young reporter who sported horn-rimmed glasses and a velvet bow-tie.

▪ He was always taking me to one side, telling me what I should and shouldn't do.

the luck of the draw

▪ It was by the luck of the draw that I got a corner office.

▪ As always, jury duty is the luck of the draw.

▪ It depends on the luck of the draw.

▪ United are getting the luck of the draws, but still need a lucky win.

EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES

▪ "Did you win?'' "No, we drew.''

▪ Amy loves to draw cartoons.

▪ Brooks can speak for several minutes without drawing a breath.

▪ He wound in the line, steadily drawing the fish towards the bank.

▪ I'm good at drawing animals, but I can't draw people.

▪ I've been drawing unemployment benefits for six months.

▪ It was an unparalleled gathering of black artists from around the world, drawing delegates from fifty countries.

▪ It was getting dark so I drew the curtains and switched on the light.

▪ Mike was sitting outside, drawing a picture of the trees at the bottom of the garden.

▪ Paula drew back the sheet and looked at the sleeping child.

▪ Real Madrid drew with Barcelona in the last game of the season.

▪ Sandflies are tiny insects that swarm and bite, sometimes drawing blood.

▪ She can draw really well.

▪ She reached in her purse and drew out a silver cigarette case.

▪ She took my hand and drew me closer.

▪ Someone had drawn a line under my name.

▪ Such was the reputation of the school that it drew boys from all over the south of England.

▪ The Australian rugby team drew the first game of their European tour, sixteen-all against France at Lyon.

▪ The carriage was drawn by six white horses.

▪ The football game is expected to draw a crowd of around 50,000.

EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS

▪ I draw on people from other regions in the company whose career paths I am not likely to cross any time soon.

▪ I want to consider whether the way in which environmental impact assessments are drawn up at the moment is satisfactory.

▪ Only then did Blanche draw herself up to her full five feet ten inches and arrest him.

▪ Such a government should include members drawn from the existing parliament, the nonviolent opposition movement and rebel leader Kabila himself.

▪ The men were drawn to their work not only by curiosity and zeal, but also by an inspiring patriotism.

▪ The Ministry of Railways and the national monopolies commission will draw up revised conditions of carriage to reflect the new statute.

II.noun

COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS

■ ADJECTIVE

big

▪ Edward had no uniform, which was the biggest draw, but he had cash, and what the girls called style.

▪ The biggest draw has been the fence in front of Dale Earnhardt Industries in Mooresville.

▪ Iverson, 25, is one of the game's biggest draws because he's one of its most gifted artists.

▪ The new operators are setting out to make it a much bigger draw.

▪ She was a big draw on Bourbon Street.

▪ Texas, with 123 delegates, and Florida, with 98, are the big draws.

goalless

▪ Johns made a second-half appearance for the Reserves in a goalless draw at Darlington and caught the next train back to London.

▪ This was obviously the case last January, when the teams fought out a goalless draw in grim weather at Ayresome Park.

▪ Aided by luck, West Ham held on and it was a goalless draw.

▪ Roughwood played a goalless draw at Farmers Arms and Pinewood shared six goals at home with Bulford.

▪ Leicester could only manage a goalless draw midweek with Sutton Coldfield and will be keen to return to winning form.

▪ After losing centre-forward Lloyd Davies with a knee injury, the Cobblers soldiered on with ten men to earn a goalless draw.

quick

▪ But Goldie, quick on the draw, intervenes.

round

▪ Let us hope they're still dancing when it is time for the Fourth Round draw.

▪ First round draw: Berkshire v Kent, Cambridgeshire v Hants.

▪ The second round draw is: Crewe Utd v 1st Bangor.

■ NOUN

prize

▪ Our next prize draw will take place on 31 May - remember each entry is eligible.

▪ There will also be a free prize draw with £100, £50 and £25 Guinness vouchers on offer.

▪ A prize draw was held regularly, and winners were awarded specially designed T shirts.

▪ Some local authorities have been very effective at this - in Greenwich, people who registered were entered in a prize draw.

▪ The festival organisers will give away one free ballon ride a day in a prize draw.

▪ Ministers aim to widen interest by running a host of smaller competitions alongside the £1 million-a-week prize draw.

■ VERB

end

▪ The net result would probably be active combat that could end in a draw.

▪ Antwerp took the tie on the away goals rule, the first leg having ended in a goal-less draw.

▪ This round of the fight has ended in a draw.

▪ I knew it would be a race back to Stuart Street and I was pleased that it ended in an honourable draw.

▪ If the 24-game series did end in a draw, Kasparov would keep his title.

▪ I wished they would go somewhere and fight a duel to the death, and that it would end in a draw.

enter

▪ Some local authorities have been very effective at this - in Greenwich, people who registered were entered in a prize draw.

▪ You will also be entered into the draw.

▪ Ed had entered a draw run by a local record store.

▪ If you wish to enter our lucky draw, please fill in your name and address below.

force

▪ Shell-shocked Liverpool recovered to force a 4-4 draw, but the ordeal isn't over yet, says Chesterfield boss Chris McMenemy.

▪ With one minute for five moves, however, he seemed to wake up, launching a counter-attack which forced a draw.

hold

▪ Shotton were held to a draw by Ashington.

▪ Their Glasgows rivals Celtic were held to a 1-1 draw by St Mirren.

play

▪ It is not good enough for our country to have a Government who are playing for a draw.

▪ Larne twice came close to stealing a second goal but seemed content to play for a draw.

▪ Roughwood played a goalless draw at Farmers Arms and Pinewood shared six goals at home with Bulford.

▪ Robson insists that he will not play for a draw.