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Glite Dictionary
for the drawer

for the drawer

9.9
Writing that a writer keeps private and does not publish
  • idiom
translation icon : para el cajón
  • He journals daily for the drawer, finding solace in words meant for no one else.

Examples

  • She writes stories for the drawer to express her feelings privately.

  • His poems are just for the drawer; he never plans to share them.

  • I don't know how to write for the drawer.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Tell me he did nothing when I hear the trash cans rattle at night and he reaches for the drawer of his nightstand.

    Fiction book (1997)

Synonyms

private
vsfor the drawer
∞ 1.8

For one person or group only and not open to others

is made without intent to publish and kept for personal satisfaction
confidential
vsfor the drawer
205 5.3

Not shared with others because it should be secret

is personal and not necessarily secret rather not meant for publication
unpublished
vsfor the drawer
16 3.7

Not available to the public in books or online

is created for personal use and not planned for publication

How Private

for the drawer
9.9
private
∞ 1.8
personal
∞ 1.4
public
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

for the drawer positive

Morphology

for + the + drawer

The phrase literally combines 'for' + 'the' + 'drawer' so a learner can plausibly infer 'intended to be kept in a drawer' and therefore private or unpublished; the storage metaphor links the constituents to the MWE meaning. However, the use of 'drawer' as a conventionalized metaphor for unpublished/private writings is somewhat idiomatic and pragmatic, so the exact literary sense may not be fully predictable without exposure.

Etymology

For the drawer comes from the simple image of a writer putting pages into a desk drawer to hide them from others. That's why the phrase now means 'created but kept private'.