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REFERENCE

write for the drawer

idiom
Meaning

To write a work for posterity or for friends that one cannot publish except as samizdat.


Origin

disputed origin

Calque of Czech psát do šuplíku.

Examples
SIMPLE

She writes for the drawer because she fears public criticism.

CONTEXTUAL

During the years of strict censorship, the poet wrote for the drawer to keep his ideas safe.

COMPLEX

He spent his entire life writing for the drawer, never seeking fame, content that his private manuscripts would one day reveal his true thoughts to his heirs.

Anchors to
Related idioms5entries
  1. 01

    top drawer

    Of the highest quality.

  2. 02

    write checks one can't cash

    To make promises one cannot keep, or to make boasts that are not true.

  3. 03

    write one's own ticket

    To be empowered to choose whichever job, financial arrangement, or course of action one desires.

  4. 04

    write oneself into a corner

    To reach a narrative point in which the story one is writing gets stuck, leaving no good or satisfactory alternative or resolution.

  5. 05

    write the book

    To be an authoritative expert on some specified topic.

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