straw

straw
straw [ strɔ ] noun **
1. ) uncount the yellow stems of dried crops such as wheat:
bales of straw
a straw hat
2. ) count a long thin paper or plastic tube that you use for drinking
clutch/grasp at straws
to try to find anything at all that will help you or give you hope in a difficult situation, when it is likely that you will find nothing
draw/get the short straw
to be chosen to do something unpleasant
the last/final straw or the straw that broke the camel's back
the last of a series of events that causes an angry or violent reaction:
When he didn't come home that night, it was the last straw.
a straw in the wind
something that is not very important but is a sign of what might happen in the future

Usage of the words and phrases in modern English. 2013.

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Synonyms:
, (of grain after being thrashed) / , , , , , ,


Look at other dictionaries:

  • Straw — is an agricultural by product, the dry of a cereal plant, after the grain or seed has been removed. Straw makes up about half of the yield of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, rye and wheat. In times gone by, it was regarded as a useful by …   Wikipedia

  • Straw — Straw, n. [OE. straw, stre, stree, AS. stre[ a]w, from the root of E. strew; akin to OFries. str[=e], D. stroo, G. stroh, OHG. str[=o], Icel. str[=a], Dan. straa, Sw. str[*a]. [root]166. See {Strew}.] 1. A stalk or stem of certain species of… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • straw — S3 [stro: US stro:] n [: Old English; Origin: streaw] 1.) a) [U] the dried stems of wheat or similar plants that animals sleep on, and that are used for making things such as baskets, hats etc →↑hay ▪ a straw hat b) a single dried stem of stra …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • straw — [strô] n. [ME stra < OE streaw, akin to streawian: see STREW] 1. hollow stalks or stems of grain after threshing, collectively: used for fodder, for bedding, for making hats, etc. 2. a single one of such stalks 3. such a stalk or, now esp., a… …   English World dictionary

  • straw — straw; straw·berry; straw·ber·ry·ing; straw·en; straw·ish; straw·less; win·dle·straw; …   English syllables

  • straw — ► NOUN 1) dried stalks of grain, used as fodder or for thatching, packing, or weaving. 2) a single dried stalk of grain. 3) a thin hollow tube of paper or plastic for sucking drink from a container. 4) a pale yellow colour. ● clutch at straws Cf …   English terms dictionary

  • straw — (n.) O.E. streaw stems or stalks of certain cereals, lit. that which is scattered or strewn, related to streowian (see STREW (Cf. strew)), from P.Gmc. *strawam that which is scattered (Cf. O.N. stra, Dan. straa, Swed. strô, O.Fris. stre, O.Du., O …   Etymology dictionary

  • Straw — ist der Name folgender Personen: Ezekiel A. Straw (1819–1882), US amerikanischer Politiker Jack Straw (* 1946), britischer Politiker der Labour Party Diese Seite ist eine Begriffsklärung zur Unterscheidung mehrerer mit demselb …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • straw|y — «STR ee», adjective. 1. of, containing, or like straw. 2. strewn or thatched with straw …   Useful english dictionary

  • Straw — Straw, v. t. To spread or scatter. See {Strew}, and {Strow}. Chaucer. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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