drawl
/drɔːl
/verb [no object]
Speak in a slow, lazy way with prolonged vowel sounds: [with direct speech]: ‘Suits me fine,’ he drawled...
- I told Max how to say he didn't speak Spanish, and Chino snorted, drawling that he spoke some English.
- ‘Goodbye,’ she drawled, sullen and slow, like some big, bored, bothered grizzly bear.
- Tyler drawled in that lazy voice of his, not even bothering to open his eyes.
Synonyms
say slowly, speak slowly;
draw out one's vowels, drone
noun [in singular]
A slow, lazy way of speaking or an accent with prolonged vowel sounds: a strong Texan drawl...
- Often with little difficulty, we can ‘translate’ the southern drawl or clipped Yankee accent.
- Someone speaking in a drawl called out, interrupting her conversation with herself.
- After forty years I can now control the appearances of my Texas accent, my one weakness being proximity to anyone with a strong drawl of their own.
Derivatives
drawler
drawly
- It was a beautiful little gothic southern town, dripping in drawly, molasses charm and warm hospitality.
- The guy on your right is into loose, drawly New York music by heroin addicts.
- It was in fact supposed to be a take off of the song ‘Everybody's Free (to Wear Sunscreen)’, that's the one with the drawly American voice doling out tips for the future to the class of '99.
Origin
Late 16th century: probably originally slang, from Low German or Dutch dralen 'delay, linger'.