Printable View
Hello! I am reading the readers' comments on a columnist's article. The above the one of readers' full note. What does ' top drawer read" mean? Richard refers to the columnist's name.:roll:Quote:
Excellent Richard, top drawer read, keep it going.
- William Bradick, Hull UK
It is an idiom and means "of the highest quality, importance, or rank", as in The musicians in this pick-up orchestra were top drawer.Quote:
Originally Posted by thedaffodils
It probably alludes to the uppermost drawer in a bureau or chest, where the most valuable objects (such as jewelry) are usually kept.
Hello Banderas, thank you.:-) Is " read" here a noun or verb? I think it is a noun. top drawer read = excellent reading stuff? :roll:
Hello, Thedaffodils,Quote:
Originally Posted by thedaffodils
You are right!:up:
Thanks again, Banderas!:-D
:up: As banderas said, you're right. In fact there's a strong collocation (almost a cliché) between 'good' and "read" in this sense - there's a radio programme called 'A Good Read' - BBC - Radio 4 - A Good Read. And here are the first few results from a BNC search - not all relevant, but quite a few are:Quote:
Originally Posted by thedaffodils
The writer was presumably referring to this cliché while at the same time avoiding it. G'night ;-)Quote:
1 KRG the development of the novel, but do they constitute what I'd call a good read? Yes, I think so. erm there are times, perhaps,
2 KRG , and these are the elements, I would have thought, of a good read in any age. Could you give me an example of any nice passage
3 KRG question is simply this. Supposing that I were to ask you to recommend a good , modern book to read , and I don't mean good in the sense
4 KRH I talked to Steven Medcalfe about novels, and asked him what makes a good read . Steven suggested Spenser and Shakespeare, with perhaps Scott and Hardy, and
5 FU4 will have the goodness to bear with me. I have read of a good bishop that was to be burnt for his religion. He tried how he could
6 HYE about encouragement to the economy and er, you can read in many a good newspaper erm, their views on that. Thanks er, did the provision for
7 B1N newspaper for when they can't reverse. I just sit and have a good read until they are done. I've got all day and I'm being
8 B38 coat of Golddigger Red on your fingernails, Now Read On … "A good substitute for a silverspoon is a castiron nerve and wherever the Beautiful People are Be
9 E9Y It won't be as big as The Liar but it will be a good read at Christmas. Susan Hill The Mist in the Mirror (Mandarin) This
10 G3P the storyteller's mother and Death. As we read it we get a good idea of the character of each one. What impression did you get of the
11 K99 in double triumph Roy Castle takes a break from record-breaking and relaxes with a good read. JS Journal editor and designer were visiting Torquay for the British Association of
12 HD4 Spark certainly have a richness of language and a liveliness which makes them a good read. By contrast, the rather trashy and bitchy biog. of Nancy Reagan is
13 AAE pictures by Russell Cheyne are worth the price on their own. For a good lively read it is worth dipping into The Whitbread Rugby World "90. The
14 A9T and adults may find the story a touch contrived, but it's a good read. "I wouldn't be a girl for five trillion pounds."
15 AJV for empathetic understanding reaches its peak with Sylvia, who has not read a good book in her entire life. He shows, without condescension, that Sylvia is
16 AJV few surviving descendants of these once-proud people are faring today. Taken as a good read, this is an excellent book. Mr Wright is an accomplished narrative historian
17 AK4 not depend entirely, or even largely, on books. Demand for a good long read has traditionally been fed by periodicals and literary journals of all kinds which
18 FYA erm and do those graphs. Yeah. And I'll have a a good read of this, and try and write down, things that I've got
19 B32 reading aloud, or getting someone fixed up with their portable stereo or a good romance to read . This chapter gives you some ideas for informal things to do
20 CLL read and how to tackle it. Readers make language learning fun. A GOOD READ Streamline Graded Readers are first and foremost "a good read". These
21 CLL fun. A GOOD READ Streamline Graded Readers are first and foremost "a good read". These original stories, by various authors, have been selected for
22 CLL simple enough to allow them to be read at normal first-language speed. A good read These original stories, by a variety of authors, all share a strong
23 ALW , and the historical connections that it reveals. It is certainly worth a good read, and I can recommend it to anyone interested in this subject. G.B.
24 B7G and there is a good index and glossary. Barnes and Hughes for a good read, Levin ton for the examinations. Of the many more books worth seeing
25 HUL about genes and so on, very up to date, scientifically completely correct and a good read . So, if you want to read up the background to all this
...
Thank you very much, Bobk! :-)Though " a good read" is a hackneyed phrase to native speakers, I think many Chinese English learners might be new to it. I copied down both of them in my English-learning note.
Good night, sleep tight!;-)