bottom drawer

American

[drawr] / drɔr /

noun

British.

any drawer used for a hope chest.

bottom drawer British

noun

US and Canadian equivalent: hope chest. a young woman's collection of clothes, linen, cutlery, etc, in anticipation of marriage

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of bottom drawer

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

If he pulled out the bottom drawer of the bureau, he could stand on it and see what was on the top.

From Literature

The book Miss Priest pulled from the bottom drawer of her desk felt as if it had been bound with real leather.

From Literature

"I don't want it to be a doorstop or in the bottom drawer, I want it to be on the mantelpiece."

From BBC

Mr Brettell said the ancient citrus fruit was discovered in the bottom drawer of a 19th century chest salvaged during a house clearance.

From BBC

The bottom drawer is for protein, which is good to put on the bottom because if anything drips it’s not going to cross-contaminate anything.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023