Chapter Dragon Slayers to Drawback of D by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

comedy must not be mixed with tragedy. Addison's Cato is a good example. Unity of style is called the Unity of Uniformity. Shakespeare disregards all these canons.

Dramatis Personæ The characters of a drama, novel, or actual transaction.

"The dramatis personæ were nobles, country gentlemen, justices of the quorum, and custodes rotulorum [keepers of the rolls]." - The Times.

Drap One of Queen Mab's maids of honour. (Drayton.)

Drapier's Letters A series of letters written by Dean Swift to the people of Ireland, advising them not to take the copper money coined by William Wood, by patent granted by George I. These letters crushed the infamous job, and the patent was cancelled.
   Dean Swift signed himself M. B. Drapier in these letters.

Drat 'em! A variant of Od rot 'em! The first word is a minced form of the word God, as in "Od's blood!" "Od zounds!"=God's wounds, "Od's bodikins," etc. See Odd's. A correspondent in Notes and Queries suggests "[May] God out-root them!" but we have the words drattle and throttle (to choke) which would better account for the a and the o, and which are also imprecations.

Draught of Thor (The). The ebb of the sea. When Asa Thor visited Jötunheim he was set to drain a bowl of liquor. He took three draughts, but only succeeded in slightly reducing the quantity. On leaving Jötunheim, the king, Giant Skrymir, told him he need not be ashamed of himself, and showed him the sea at low ebb, saying that he had drunk all the rest in his three draughts. We are told it was a quarter of a mile of sea-water that he drank.

Draupnir Odin's magic ring, from which every ninth night dropped eight rings equal in size and beauty to itself.

Draw    To draw amiss. To follow scent in the wrong direction. Fox-hunting term, where to draw means to follow scent.
   To draw a furrow. To plough or draw a plough through a field so as to make a furrow.
   To draw a person out. To entice a person to speak on any subject, often with the intention of ridiculing his utterances.

Draw it Mild (To). We talk of remarks being highly flavoured, of strong language, of piquant remarks, of spicy words; so that to "draw it mild" refers to liquor; let it be mild, not too highly-flavoured, not too spicy and strong.

Draw the Long Bow (To). To exaggerate. Some wonderful tales are told of Robin Hood and other foresters practised in the long bow. (See BOW.)

Drawback Something to set against the profits or advantages of a concern. In commerce, it is duty charged on goods paid back again when the goods are exported.

"It is only on goods into which dutiable commodities have entered in large proportion and obvious ways that drawbacks are allowed." - H. George: Protection or Free Trade: chap ix. p.92