driveler, driveller

[Eng. drivel; -er.] A slaverer, an idiot, a dotard, a fool. "I have heard the arrant est drivellers commended for their shrewdne , even by men of tolerable judgment." Swift . driv-el-ing, driv-el-ling, pr. par., a. & s. [DRIVEL, v.] A. & B. As pr. par. & particip . adj .: (See the IMG:content-0547.jpg:[blocks in formation] Mil.: To force to retreat on their supports; to drive back. "The out-posts of the Cameron i ans were speedily driven in."- Macaulay : Hist . Eng ., ch. xiii. (3) To drive off: To put off, to delay, to postpone. (4) To drive out: (a) Ord . Lang .: To expel. (b) Print.: To space widely, to make a line of copy fill out the line, as when a ma of solid matter is divided into several takes, each being required to begin and end a line evenly. (5) To drive a good bargain : To make a good bargain for one's self. (6) To drive a hard bargain : To be hard or harsh in making a bargain. (7) To let drive : To aim a blow, to strike at furiously. "Four rogues in buckram let drive at me."- Shakesp .: Henry IV ., Pt . I. , ii. 4. IMG:content-0548.png:[blocks in formation] 1. Cricket: A hit which drives the ball forward in front of mid-wicket. "He also made the next hit, which was a straight drive off the same bowler for a couple."-London Daily Telegraph. 2. Forging : A matrix formed by a steel punch, die, or drift.