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What’s in your man drawer?
The Sun ^ | 20 May 2008 | MICHAEL McINTYRE

Posted on 05/20/2008 8:40:41 PM PDT by Daffynition

BRITISH men, having given over our houses to our wives, girlfriends and womenfolk, are defined by our one last place to survive . . . the man drawer.

I think it’s a little sexist to say women run the home.

It’s not that they take it over, it’s just that men don’t require very much. We require one drawer – this is a man drawer.

The man drawer is for general domestic maintenance and things we feel we may need in the future.

Lightbulbs. Should a bulb within the home blow, the man will search his man drawer.

Other things that may go in include batteries.

Batteries of undetermined life will be littered throughout. I don’t know how old batteries get there but they find their way in nonetheless.

We will also have instructions. They immediately go into the man drawer despite the fact we may no longer have the appliance to which they relate.

The problem with instructions in the man drawer is that they end up wedging the man drawer shut.

Sometimes you can’t open your man drawer – so you have this drawer responsible for maintenance and you can’t even get in it.

And often the tool you need to open your man drawer is in the drawer – even more frustrating as you tug at it.

Other things include foreign currency. Men feel that having earned money, we cannot throw it away.

So we hold on to it. The problem with foreign coins is you pretty much know you’ll never need access to them again.

I don’t know whether it influences your decision as to where to holiday – “I think we should go back to Spain because I have pesetas and I could buy you a newspaper in the airport on the way home.”

But now the euro has come so all the foreign currency we have is useless.

But still we hold on to it in case certain countries decide to relinquish the euro and we will go: “Fabulous. We should immediately go to Corfu and buy milk.”

The next thing we have is a variety of keys, including ones from places where we used to live. We don’t even know what they open any more.

It could be the key to an old shed or a locker but something about the key is just too mysterious and magical to throw away.

Alongside those keys are radiator keys. These are used to bleed radiators – a job only men can do because if you get it wrong you will be scalded in the face so we won’t let women do that.

Another huge section is Allen keys. Allen Key is a man, I believe, of Swedish origin – someone who developed the Allen key.

Outside of radiator keys, keys to your old home and Allen keys would be long keys used to secure the tops and bottoms of drawers.

I don’t even know what they are called but we have them in the man drawer alongside string.

String is there for suicide. Every man needs to know he can end it at any given time.

Takeaway menus are very important. Should we need takeaway food, the man has it covered.

I know in my house the kitchen is my wife’s but when we need to order cuisine in I will fetch menus from my man drawer.

These consist of an Indian menu and a Chinese menu whereupon, despite the huge choice, we always order exactly the same thing.

Every time we go through the process of taking out the menu and reading it only to confirm we want the same thing we have ordered throughout our eight-year relationship.

One last man drawer essential.

We hold on to mobile phones and chargers – man drawers are like mini mobile phone museums.

Many even have mobiles from the Eighties.


TOPICS: Humor; Society
KEYWORDS: banglist; drawer; man; mandrawer
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Everyone has a junk drawer.
1 posted on 05/20/2008 8:40:42 PM PDT by Daffynition
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To: Daffynition

A man drawer? LOL!


2 posted on 05/20/2008 8:44:51 PM PDT by allmost
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To: Daffynition

But what if it is in California? Man’s drawer could be wife’s drawer. So complicated!


3 posted on 05/20/2008 8:45:07 PM PDT by Mark (Don't argue with my posts. I typed while under sniper fire..)
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To: Daffynition

I have a room with three full book shelves, an ancient stereo with “two man lift” speakers and my guitars and amps. I also have the basement for my exercise equipment.

The garage is neutral territory out of necessity.

I fought long and hard and will not give up one inch of territory!


4 posted on 05/20/2008 8:45:34 PM PDT by Grizzled Bear ("Does not play well with others.")
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To: Daffynition
Ummm, I call mine the 'garage'.
Stop bothering me woman -- can't you see I'm working here? [burrrp]
5 posted on 05/20/2008 8:46:33 PM PDT by 50cal Smokepole (El Conservo Tribal Name: Fishes with Dynamite)
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To: neverdem; Joe Brower
A typical American man drawer.


6 posted on 05/20/2008 8:48:19 PM PDT by Travis McGee (--- www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com ---)
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To: Daffynition
Oh God, that article nailed me to the F'ing wall. That is EXACTLY what I have in my "man drawer". The keys, the (dead, useless) mobile phones and chargers, the string, the menus.

This guy lives in my house. He has to, to know me that well.

7 posted on 05/20/2008 8:48:21 PM PDT by dayglored (Listen, strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government!)
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To: Travis McGee
> A typical American man drawer.

Well, of course a lot of the keys in the drawer fit the trigger locks.

And the instructions for the scopes.

8 posted on 05/20/2008 8:50:00 PM PDT by dayglored (Listen, strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government!)
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To: 50cal Smokepole
> Ummm, I call mine the 'garage'.

Or the "barn".

30 years ago I bought this house. It has a barn.

The less said about the contents of the barn, the better. 30 years is a lot of time to accumulate stuff...

9 posted on 05/20/2008 8:53:44 PM PDT by dayglored (Listen, strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government!)
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To: Mark
Man’s drawer could be wife’s drawer. So complicated!

actually, this is so true... this Californian wife's junk drawer is not much different than that man drawer... mine has some additional items... plus i have a "kitchen" junk drawer with packets of soy sauce, KFC towlettes, pens that do not work, rubber bands from produce items, and much, much more... plus my hubby has his man drawer which also sounds much like that man drawer... coins and all... come to think of it, i have a junk drawer in every room of our house... this is sad...

10 posted on 05/20/2008 8:54:44 PM PDT by latina4dubya
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To: Daffynition
Yes. I have been forced to create one of these, and to move it periodically, to keep it's contents safe. In it are such things as (pencil) erasers, mechanical pencils, butane lighters, blank labels, scotch-guard scrubbing sponges, light bulbs, dental floss dispensers, Sharpie felt-tip pens with their caps still on, ChapStiks, blank CD-ROMs and CD-ROM envelopes, and other things that if left around where wife and kiddies can find them will be used once and then forgotten so that when I need them they will be gone/dry/otherwise ruined.
11 posted on 05/20/2008 8:55:50 PM PDT by Steely Tom (Steely's First Law of the Main Stream Media: if it doesn't advance the agenda, it's not news.)
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To: dayglored
Ssshhh. Quiet. The less she knows, the better for you....
12 posted on 05/20/2008 8:55:53 PM PDT by 50cal Smokepole (El Conservo Tribal Name: Fishes with Dynamite)
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To: Mark

13 posted on 05/20/2008 8:58:00 PM PDT by Daffynition (The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear.)
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To: Daffynition; All
An essential line contained in the original article but 'curiously' omitted here  :-)

Send us pictures of YOUR man drawers to features@the-sun.co.uk and we'll print the best

A FReeper 'man-drawer' pic is just what a Brit tabloid needs  :-)

14 posted on 05/20/2008 8:58:21 PM PDT by Stoat (Rice / Coulter 2012: Smart Ladies for a Strong America)
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To: Stoat; Travis McGee

Post #6 says it all.

[Are you insinuating the I *porpoisely* left that line out of the article???] ;D


15 posted on 05/20/2008 9:02:57 PM PDT by Daffynition (The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear.)
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To: Stoat; Travis McGee

Post #6 says it all.

[Are you insinuating the I *porpoisely* left that line out of the article???] ;D


16 posted on 05/20/2008 9:03:31 PM PDT by Daffynition (The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear.)
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To: Daffynition

One thing they definately do not have is a firearm. There government does not allow it. Too manly,individualistic and freedom defending for the Englishman. Sad.


17 posted on 05/20/2008 9:03:55 PM PDT by therut
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To: Daffynition; therut
Back in the day, these were commonly found in a typical British man drawer.


18 posted on 05/20/2008 9:06:31 PM PDT by Travis McGee (--- www.EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com ---)
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To: 50cal Smokepole
> Ssshhh. Quiet. The less she knows, the better for you....

That is very true.

Of course, the same may be said in return, of her places, too. There are some things I would just rather not know.

19 posted on 05/20/2008 9:06:58 PM PDT by dayglored (Listen, strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government!)
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To: Daffynition

Typical Brit “man” drawer — no firearms or knives.


20 posted on 05/20/2008 9:08:02 PM PDT by Mr. Mojo
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