straw

[ straw ]
/ strɔ /

noun

adjective

Idioms for straw

    catch/clutch/grasp at a straw/straws/any straw(s), to seize at any chance, no matter how slight, of saving oneself from calamity.
    draw straws, to decide by lottery using straws or strawlike items of different lengths, usually with the short straw or straws determining the person chosen or the loser.

Origin of straw

before 950; Middle English; Old English strēaw; cognate with German Stroh; akin to strew

OTHER WORDS FROM straw

straw·less, adjective straw·like, adjective

Words nearby straw

stravage, stravaig, stravinskian, stravinsky, stravinsky, igor, straw, straw boss, straw color, straw in the wind, straw man, straw mite

British Dictionary definitions for grasp at straws (1 of 3)

straw 1
/ (strɔː) /

noun

adjective

mainly US having little value or substance
See also man of straw

Derived forms of straw

strawlike, adjective

Word Origin for straw

Old English streaw; related to Old Norse strā, Old Frisian strē, Old High German strō; see strew

British Dictionary definitions for grasp at straws (2 of 3)

straw 2
/ (strɔː) /

verb

archaic another word for strew

British Dictionary definitions for grasp at straws (3 of 3)

Straw
/ (strɔː) /

noun

Jack, full name John Whitaker Straw. born 1946, British Labour politician; Home Secretary (1997–2001); Foreign Secretary (2001–06); Lord Chancellor (2007–10)

Idioms and Phrases with grasp at straws (1 of 2)

grasp at straws

Also, clutch at straws. Make a desperate attempt at saving oneself. For example, He had lost the argument, but he kept grasping at straws, naming numerous previous cases that had little to do with this one. This metaphoric expression alludes to a drowning person trying to save himself by grabbing at flimsy reeds. First recorded in 1534, the term was used figuratively by the late 1600s.

Idioms and Phrases with grasp at straws (2 of 2)

straw