quill-drivev.
/ˈkwɪlˌdrʌɪv/, U.S. /ˈkwɪlˌdraɪv/ Frequently depreciative.
intransitive. To work with a quill or pen, esp. in a tedious or repetitious job; to earn a living as a clerk or (hack) writer.
ΚΠ
1829 W. Scott Jrnl. 13 Jan. (1946) 3 At such times I have wishd myself a clerk, quill driving for twopence per page.
1870 R. Broughton Red as Rose I. 196 If I had..had to earn my bread quill-driving..or sawbones-ing.
1926 Times 25 Oct. 5/2 The reason that I am still slaving in the City and that you—pardon the suggestion—are still quill-driving is that we missed our opportunity.
1963 W. Starkie Scholars & Gypsies i. vii. 185 I shared a small room with a Catholic..who hated quill-driving in London and wanted more active work.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2007; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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