straw (redirected from Clutching at Straws)

straw  (strô)

n.

1.

a. Stalks of threshed grain, used as bedding and food for animals, for thatching, and for weaving or braiding, as into baskets.

b. A single stalk of threshed grain.

2. Something, such as a hat or basket, made of straw.

3. A slender tube used for sucking up a liquid.

4.

a. Something of minimal value or importance.

b. Something with too little substance to provide support in a crisis: Near the end we were grasping at straws.

adj.

1. Of, relating to, or made of straw: a straw mat.

2. Containing or used for straw, as a barn or feeding trough.

3. Of the color of straw; yellowish.

4. Having little or no value or substance; unimportant.

5. Of, relating to, or constituting a straw man.

Idioms:

final/last straw

The final annoyance or setback, which even though minor makes one lose patience.

straw in the wind

A slight hint of something to come.

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[Middle English, from Old English straw; see ster-² in Indo-European roots.]

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strawy adj.

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straw

Noun

1. dried stalks of threshed grain, such as wheat or barley

2. a single stalk of straw

3. a long thin hollow paper or plastic tube, used for sucking up liquids into the mouth

4. clutch at straws to turn in desperation to something with little chance of success

5. draw the short straw to be the person chosen to perform an unpleasant task

Adjective

made of straw: straw baskets [Old English strēaw]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	straw - plant fiber used e.g. for making baskets and hats or as fodder cushioning, padding - artifact consisting of soft or resilient material used to fill or give shape or protect or add comfort plant fiber, plant fibre - fiber derived from plants
	2.	straw - material consisting of seed coverings and small pieces of stem or leaves that have been separated from the seeds chaff, husk, shuck, stalk, stubble bran - broken husks of the seeds of cereal grains that are separated from the flour by sifting plant material, plant substance - material derived from plants
	3.	straw - a variable yellow tint; dull yellow, often diluted with white pale yellow, wheat yellow, yellowness - yellow color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of sunflowers or ripe lemons
	4.	straw - a thin paper or plastic tube used to suck liquids into the mouth drinking straw tube, tubing - conduit consisting of a long hollow object (usually cylindrical) used to hold and conduct objects or liquids or gases
Verb	1.	straw - cover or provide with or as if with straw; "cows were strawed to weather the snowstorm" cover - provide with a covering or cause to be covered; "cover her face with a handkerchief"; "cover the child with a blanket"; "cover the grave with flowers"
	2.	straw - spread by scattering ("straw" is archaic); "strew toys all over the carpet" strew bestrew - cover by strewing litter - make a place messy by strewing garbage around spread, distribute - distribute or disperse widely; "The invaders spread their language all over the country"
Adj.	1.	straw - of a pale yellow color like straw; straw-colored chromatic - being or having or characterized by hue

Translations

straw [strɔː] n → paja;

(drinking straw) → caña, pajita;

that's the last straw! → ¡eso es el colmo!

straw [strɔː] n → paille f;

that's the last straw! → ça c'est le comble!

straw [strɔː] n → Stroh nt;

(also: drinking straw) → Strohhalm m;

that's the last straw! → das ist der Gipfel!

straw [strɔː] n → paglia (= drinking straw); cannuccia;

that's the last straw! → è la goccia che fa traboccare il vaso!

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straw

n straw [stroː]

1 (also adjective) (of) the cut stalks of corn etc, having many uses, eg as bedding for cattle etc, making mats and other goods etc The cows need fresh straw; a straw hat. strooi, hooi قَش слама sláma, slaměný halm; strå; strå- das Stroh, Stroh-... άχυρο, αχυρένιος, ψάθινος paja õlg پوشال oljet (de) paille קַש पायल, पुआल, भूसा, घास-फूस slama szalma jerami hálmur paglia; di paglia わら 짚(의), 밀짚(의) šiaudai; šiaudinis salms; salmi; salmu- jerami stro strå, halm słoma palha paie солома slama; slamený slama slama halm สิ่งที่ทำจากฟาง saman 稻草，麥稈 солома بھوسا rơm 稻草，麦秆

2 a single stalk of corn There's a straw in your hair; Their offer isn't worth a straw! strooi قَشَّه сламка stéblo strå der Strohhalm άχυρο paja kõrs كاه oljenkorsi paille גִבעוֹל קַש तिनका, तृण slamka szalmaszál jerami hálmstrá pagliuzza; nulla わら 지푸라기 하나 šiaudas Viņu piedāvājums nav plika graša vērts. jerami strootje halmstrå słoma palha pai соломинка steblo slamnata bilka slamka halmstrå, [] ruttet lingon ฟาง saman çöpü 一根草 соломинка تنکا cọng, mẩu rơm 一根草

3 a paper or plastic tube through which to suck a drink into the mouth He was sipping orange juice through a straw. strooitjie, rietjie قَشَّة لِشُرْب العَصير من القَنّينَه сламка за пиене brčko sugerør der Strohhalm καλαμάκι paja, pajita (joogi)kõrs ني pilli paille קָשִית पीने की नली slamčica szívószál sedotan (sog)rör cannuccia ストロー 빨대, 스트로 šiaudelis (kokteiļu) salmiņš straw rietje sugerør słomka palhinha pai соломинка slamka slamica slamčica sugrör หลอด kamış 吸管 соломинка کاغذ کی پلاسٹک کی نلکی جس سے کوءی مشروب پیتے ہیں nống hút 吸管

the last straw

an additional and intolerable circumstance in a disagreeable situation The hotel was expensive, the food poor, and the bad weather was the last straw. laaste strooi الطّامَةُ الكُبْرى последната капка, която прелива чашата poslední kapka sidste strå etwas, das gerade noch gefehlt hat η σταγόνα που ξεχείλισε το ποτήρι el colmo, la gota que colma el vaso viimane tilk تلنگر آخر viimeinen pisara la goutte d'eau qui fait déborder le vase הַקַש שֶׁשָבַר אֶת גַב הַגָמָל और भार सहन न होना posljednja kap (od koje se prelila čaša) utolsó csepp a pohárban tambahan keburukan síðasta hálmstráið (l'ultima goccia) とどめの一小事 (한도를 넘은) 마지막의 한가닥 무게; 설상가상 paskutinis lašas pēdējais piliens kausā; pēdējā nagla zārkā tidak tahan de druppel die de emmer doet overlopen dråpen som får begeret til å flyte over ostatnia kropla a última gota picătură care umple paharul последняя капля posledná kvapka kaplja čez rob poslednja kap droppen som fick bägaren att rinna över สถานการณ์ที่ซึ่งสุดจะทนได้ bardağı taşıran son damla 使人不能忍受的增加負擔 остання крапля کسی ناموافق صورتحال میں ایک اضافی اور ناگزیر موقعہ cái thêm vào sau cùng là cái nặng nhất 使人不能忍受的增加负担