drabble

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdɹæbəl/
• Rhymes: -æbəl

Etymology 1

From Middle English drabelan

Verb

1. (transitive) To wet or dirty, especially by dragging through mud.
2. (intransitive) To fish with a long line and rod.

   to drabble for barbels

Etymology 2

From a word game in Monty Python's Big Red Book in which the first player to write a novel wins; the UK Science Fiction fandom agreed that 100 words will suffice; not, as is sometimes stated, from the surname of the author Margaret Drabble.

Noun

drabble (plural drabbles)

1. A short fictional story, typically in fan fiction, sometimes exactly 100 words long.

Usage notes

The "100 words" limit is the original meaning, although in practice (and drabble purists have denounced this extension), it frequently extends up to around 500 words, with a variety of limits used.

Synonyms

• flash fiction, flashfic, microfiction, short short story, sudden fiction

Further reading

• An example of a German language drabble

See also

• “drabble”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
• “drabble”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

Anagrams

• dabbler, rabbled