nest of drawers

American  

noun

1. a miniature chest of drawers made in the 18th century, often set on top of a desk or table.

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Etymology

Origin of nest of drawers

First recorded in 1695–1705

Example Sentences

I had set it down without looking—for my eyes were fixed on the basin—and had balanced it on the edge of the nest of drawers.

From Old Fires and Profitable Ghosts by Quiller-Couch, Arthur Thomas, Sir

A chest, or nest, of drawers she declared that she did not remember.

From Historical Mysteries by Lang, Andrew

He would have none but the best; and the best lay stored delicately on cotton-wool, ticketed with the tiniest handwriting, in a nest of drawers I could have unlocked with a hairpin.

From Corporal Sam and Other Stories by Quiller-Couch, Arthur Thomas, Sir

But the gilded edges, reflecting the light a second time, flung it on a nest of drawers in a dark corner, and I saw that one of them was half open.

From Lilith, a romance by MacDonald, George

And in the stillness I remember setting down the brass candlestick on a tall nest of drawers beside me.

From Old Fires and Profitable Ghosts by Quiller-Couch, Arthur Thomas, Sir