What does "draw" mean?

In addition to the idioms beginning with draw, also see back to the drawing board; beat to it (the draw); daggers drawn; luck of the draw; quick on the draw.

See draw in WNW Idioms

beat to the draw

☆
to be quicker than (another) in doing something, as in drawing one's weapon

draw and quarter

Medieval History
  1. to execute by tying each arm and leg to a different horse, and then driving the horses in four different directions
  2. to eviscerate and cut into pieces after hanging

draw away

to move away or ahead

draw back

to withdraw; retreat

draw on

or draw nigh
to approach

draw oneself up

  1. to assume a straighter posture; stand or sit straight
  2. to bridle

draw out

  1. to extend; lengthen; prolong
  2. to take out; extract
  3. to get (a person) to answer or talk

draw up

  1. to arrange in order; marshal
  2. to compose (a document) in proper form; draft
  3. to bring or come to a stop
  4. to raise one's shoulders and pull one's limbs close to the body; huddle

See draw in American Heritage Dictionary 4 Idioms

draw a blank

To fail to find or remember something.

draw and quarter

  1. To execute (a prisoner) by tying each limb to a horse and driving the horses in different directions.
  2. To disembowel and dismember after hanging.
  3. Informal
  4. To punish severely: The teenager was drawn and quartered for wrecking the family's only car.

draw straws

To decide by a lottery with straws of unequal lengths.

draw the line

  1. To decide firmly an arbitrary boundary between two things: “Where do you draw the line between your own decisions and those of your superiors?” (Robert Marion).
  2. To decide firmly the limit of what one will tolerate or participate in: The officer committed fraud but drew the line at blackmail.

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