a good draw

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

A first-rate attraction — "Performing elephants are always 'a good draw' at circuses." The noun also may mean a drawn game, or the result of drawing lots, etc.

Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)

Sources & notes

Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.

Common questions

What does “a good draw” mean?

A first-rate attraction — "Performing elephants are always 'a good draw' at circuses." The noun also may mean a drawn game, or the result of drawing lots, etc.

Is “a good draw” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.