draw out

draw out idiom
  1. Pull out, extract, remove, as in She drew out her pen, or Let's draw some money out of the bank. [c. 1300]
  2. Prolong, protract, as in This meal was drawn out over four hours. The related expression long-drawn-out means “greatly extended or protracted,” as in The dinner was a long-drawn-out affair. [1500s]
  3. Induce to speak freely, as in The teacher was good at drawing out the children. [Late 1700s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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