n.
- dried stalks of grain, used as fodder or for thatching, packing, or weaving.
- a single dried stalk of grain.
- a thin hollow tube of paper or plastic for sucking drink from a glass or bottle.
- a pale yellow colour like that of straw.
-
[with neg.]
anything or at all:
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he didn't care a straw if they disliked him.
Phrase
- clutch
(or grasp or catch)
at straws
resort in desperation to unlikely or inadequate means of salvation.
[from the proverb a drowning man will clutch at a straw.]
- draw the short straw
be chosen to perform an unpleasant task. - the last
(or final)
straw
a further minor difficulty that comes after a series of difficulties and makes a situation unbearable.
[from the proverb the last straw breaks the (laden) camel's back.]
- a straw in the wind
a slight hint of future developments.
Derivative
Etymology
OE strēaw, of Gmc origin; rel. to strew.
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