straw

• straw
• 1
• a) [uncountable] 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) [countable] a single dried stem of straw
• 2 [countable] a thin tube of paper or plastic for sucking up liquid from a bottle or a cup:
• She sipped her lemonade through a straw.
• 3

   the last straw

  also the straw that breaks the camel's back the last problem in a series of problems that finally makes you give up, get angry etc:
• Making me work late on Friday was the last straw.
• 4

   be clutching/grasping at straws

  to be trying everything you can to succeed, even though the things you are doing are not likely to help or work
• 5

   straw in the wind

  British English a sign of what might happen in the future:
• There have been a few straws in the wind suggesting things might be getting a little better.
• 6

   straw man

  American English a weak opponent or imaginary argument that can easily be defeated

• ➔ draw the short straw

   at draw1 (29)

Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary