straw
- straw
- [[t]strɔ͟ː[/t]]
straws
1) N-UNCOUNT Straw consists of the dried, yellowish stalks from crops such as wheat or barley.
The barn was full of bales of straw...
I stumbled through mud to a yard strewn with straw.
...a wide-brimmed straw hat.
2) N-COUNT A straw is a thin tube of paper or plastic, which you use to suck a drink into your mouth.
...a bottle of lemonade with a straw in it.
3) PHRASE: V inflects If you are clutching at straws or grasping at straws, you are trying unusual or extreme ideas or methods because other ideas or methods have failed.
...a badly thought-out scheme from a Government clutching at straws.
4) PHRASE: usu v-link PHR If an event is the last straw or the straw that broke the camel's back, it is the latest in a series of unpleasant or undesirable events, and makes you feel that you cannot tolerate a situation any longer.
For him the Church's decision to allow the ordination of women had been the last straw...
Then came the recession. Revenues dropped, but the straw to break the camel's back was the war.
5) PHRASE: usu v PHR If you draw the short straw, you are chosen from a number of people to perform a job or duty that you will not enjoy.
...if a few of your guests have drawn the short straw and agreed to drive others home after your summer barbecue.
6) PHRASE: straw inflects If you say that an incident or piece of news is a straw in the wind, you mean that it gives an indication of what might happen in the future.
The latest straw in the wind is a pick-up in sales among the nation's retail giants.
Syn:
English dictionary.
2008.
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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 — [ 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… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
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
