straw
/strɔː/noun
1
- mass noun dried stalks of grain, used especially as fodder or as material for thatching, packing, or weaving（谷类作物的）禾秆; 稻草; 麦秸：
as modifier a straw hat.一顶草帽。
1.1
- a pale yellow colour like that of straw稻草色, 淡黄色：
as modifier a dull straw colour.单调的淡黄色。
1.2
- used in reference to something insubstantial or worthless无意义的东西; 无价值的东西：
it seemed as if the words were merely straw.
好像那些话只是些废话。
1.3
- count noun with negative anything or at all (used to emphasize how little something is valued)无价值的东西; 一点点：
if he finds you here, my life won't be worth a straw.
如果他发现你在这里, 我就要一命呜呼了。
2
- a single dried stalk of grain一根秸秆：
the tramp sat chewing a straw.
那流浪汉坐在那里, 嘴里嚼着一根干草。
2.1
- a stalk of grain or something similar used in drawing lots（用秸秆或类似的东西做成的）签：
we had to draw straws for the food we had.
我们须抽签决定如何分我们的食物。
3
- a thin hollow tube of paper or plastic for sucking drink from a glass or bottle（喝饮料用的）吸管。
短语
clutch（或grasp, catch）at straws
- be in such a desperate situation as to resort to even the most unlikely means of salvation捞救命稻草, 作最后的绝望挣扎。
- ORIGIN: from the proverb a drowning man will clutch at a straw.
draw the short straw
- be the unluckiest of a group of people, especially in being chosen to perform an unpleasant task抽到下下签（尤指被选中去执行倒霉任务）。
the last（或 final）straw
- a further difficulty or annoyance, typically minor in itself but coming on top of a whole series of difficulties, that makes a situation unbearable最终使人无法忍受的一击; 终于导致失败（或垮台）的因素：
his affair was the last straw.
他的风流事是最终导致他垮台的因素。
ORIGIN: from the proverb the last straw breaks the (laden) camel's back.
a straw in the wind
- a slight hint of future developments（预示将来发展的）迹象, 预兆, 苗头。
派生词
strawy
adjective词源
Old English strēaw, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch stroo and German Stroh, also to STREW.