drop the writ
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English[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Compression of draw up the writ.[1][2]
Pronunciation[edit]
Audio (AU) (file)
Verb[edit]
drop the writ (third-person singular simple present drops the writ, present participle dropping the writ, simple past and past participle dropped the writ)
- (Canada, idiomatic) To call a federal or provincial election.
- 2000 October 22, Allison Dunfield, “Chrétien calls election for Nov. 27”, in Globe and Mail, Toronto:
- Mr. Chrétien visited Governor-General Adrienne Clarkson and asked her to drop the writ, meaning that for the next 36 days, Canada will be hit with election fever.
Usage notes[edit]
Formally, "draws the writ" or "Issues the writ(s)."
References[edit]
- ^ Statutes of the Province of Manitoba, Manitoba: Queen's Printer, 1887, p. 148.
- ^ Robert Allen (1841), The Practice of the Common Law Courts, and Practical Lawyer's Pocket Book, London, England: John Richards and Co., Law Booksellers, &c., p. 82.