Search the Dictionary

The minutes, or rough draught, of an instrument or transaction.

One who draughts protocols.

One of a breed of large, heavy draught horses; as, the Suffolk punch.

To drink with relish; to drink copiously of; to swallow in large draughts. "Quaffed off the muscadel." Shak. They eat, they drink, and in communion sweet Quaff immortality and joy. Milton.

The process of making a copy of something, as a figure, design, or draught, on a smaller scale, preserving the proper proportions. Fairholt.

Hastily or carelessly done; wanting finish; incomplete; as, a rough estimate; a rough draught. Rough diamond, an uncut diamond; hence, colloquially, a person of intrinsic worth under a rude exterior. -- Rough and ready. (a) Acting with offhand promptness and efficiency. "The rough and ready understanding." Lowell.…

A rough draught; a rude sketch or outline.

The original and entire draught, or its transcript, of a composition, with the parts for all the different instruments or voices written on staves one above another, so that they can be read at a glance; -- so called from the bar, which, in its early use, was drawn through all the parts. Moore (Encyc. of Music). In sco…

One who writes; a draughtsman; a writer for another; especially, an offical or public writer; an amanuensis or secretary; a notary; a copyist.

ng logs to one side. -- Sheer hulk. See Shear hulk, under Hulk. -- Sheer plan, or Sheer draught (Shipbuilding), a projection of the lines of a vessel on a vertical longitudinal plane passing through the middle line of the vessel. -- Sheer pole (Naut.), an iron rod lashed to the shrouds just above the dead-eyes and p…

tail very long. It is distinguished for endurance of fatigue when used for the purpose of draught. -- Siberian pea tree (Bot.), a small leguminous tree (Cragana arborescens) with yellow flowers. It is a native of Siberia.

To bring low; to reduce in quantity; to waste. You sunk the river repeated draughts. Addison.

A small draught taken with the lips; a slight taste. One sip of this Will bathe the drooping spirits in delight Beyond the bliss of dreams. Milton. A sip is all that the public ever care to take from reservoirs of abstract philosophy. De Quincey.

An outline or general delineation of anything; a first rough or incomplete draught or plan of any design; especially, in the fine arts, such a representation of an object or scene as serves the artist's purpose by recording its chief features; also, a preliminary study for an original work.

f another. Disguise thyself as thou wilt, still, slavery, said I, still thou art a bitter draught! Sterne. I wish, from my soul, that the legislature of this state [Virginia] could see the policy of a gradual abolition of slavery. It might prevent much future mischief. Washington.

To make sober. There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, And drinking largely sobers us again. Pope.

all the places filled except one, to remove all but one of the pieces by "jumping," as in draughts.

A small draught. [Colloq.] Massinger.

To drink in long draughts; to gulp; as, to swig cider. [Colloq.]

To drink in great draughts; to swallow greedily. Well-dressed people, of both sexes, . . . devouring sliced beef, and swilling pork, and punch, and cider. Smollett.