drawbridge
nounUK, US /ˈdɹɔːbɹɪd͡ʒ/ · /ˈdɹɑbɹɪd͡ʒ/
Etymology Inherited from Middle English drawebrigge; by surface analysis, draw + bridge.
1
A hinged bridge which can be raised (to prevent its being crossed, as across a moat, or to allow watercraft to travel beneath it).
- Near-synonym: bascule bridge
- I might jump an open drawbridge, or Tarzan from a vine / 'Cause I'm the unknown stuntman that makes Eastwood look so fine1981, “The Fall Guy”, performed by The Sonora's Tucson Band:
2
Figuratively A tendency to provide only limited access.
- drawbridge mentality
- I looked at her with wide eyes, and the drawbridge of her reserve fell instantly.1873 March, Ella Williams, “My Stepdaughter”, in William Conant Church, editor, The Galaxy, volume 15, number 3, page 386:
3 more examples
- "Yeah, some people have a drawbridge mentality,” remarks Barry.“They move to an island and then they think that nobody else should be let in after them. […]2012, Phillip Vannini, Ferry Tales: Mobility, Place, and Time on Canada's West Coast:
- And He gave me the steps I needed to take to let down the drawbridge of my heart again.2016, Gladys Famoriyo, Quit Hiding, Start Living!:
- They push against the drawbridge of my mind, shaking me to the core.2019, Christie Rich, Charles Nottingham, Weaver of Dreams:
- Derived terms
- drawbridged, drawbridge mentality, pull up the drawbridge
- Hyponyms
- hoist bridge