straw

1. 1. Stalks of threshed grain, used as bedding and food for animals, for thatching, and for weaving or braiding, as into baskets.
   2. 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. 1. Something of minimal value or importance.
   2. Something with too little substance to provide support in a crisis: Near the end we were grasping at straws.

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.

final (or last) straw

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

1. A slight hint of something to come.

[Middle English, from Old English strēaw.]

Idioms beginning with straw:
straw that breaks the camel's back
straw boss
straw in the wind
straw vote

See also draw straws; grasp at straws; last straw; make bricks without straw; not worth a dime (straw).

For more information on straw, visit Britannica.com.

1. mature, dry foliage of a cereal crop after the grain has been harvested by a header or by threshing. Has very low digestibility, energy and protein content. Used principally as bedding but in some economies is used as feed. Causes impaction of the rumen in cattle and ileocecal valve in horses. Is more digestible if chopped and fed with a protein supplement or urea. If left standing in the field is referred to as stubble. When fed in this way there is a variable amount of spilt grain available also.
2. a hollow, plastic tube used for the storage of frozen semen. See also french straws.

• s. eating — a vice in stabled horses which may require muzzling to avoid the occurrence of impaction colic.

The dried stems and leaves of cereal grains such as oats, wheat, or rye. It is often used as a mulch in vegetable gardens or to cover grass seed in a newly sown lawn. Straw contains few if any weed seeds and is therefore more desirable than hay. It decomposes quickly and adds organic matter to the soil. See also hay; salt marsh hay.

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For other uses, see Straw (disambiguation).

Not to be confused with hay.

Bales of straw

bundles of rice straw

Pile of straw bales, sheltered under a tarpaulin

Straw is an agricultural by-product, the dry stalks of cereal plants, after the grain or seed and chaff has been removed. Straw makes up about half of the yield of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, rye and wheat. In times gone by, it was regarded as a useful by-product of the harvest, but with the advent of the combine harvester, straw has become more burdensome to agriculture^{[citation needed]}.

However, straw can be put to many uses, old and new.

Uses

• Biofuels
  • The use of straw as a carbon-neutral energy source is increasing rapidly, especially for biobutanol.

• Biomass
  • The use of straw in large-scale biomass power plants is becoming mainstream in the EU, with several facilities already online. The straw is either used directly in the form of bales, or densified into pellets which allows for the feedstock to be transported over longer distances. Finally, torrefaction of straw with pelletisation is gaining attention, because it increases the energy density of the resource, making it possible to transport it still further. This processing step also makes storage much easier, because torrefied straw pellets are hydrophobic. Torrefied straw in the form of pellets can be directly co-fired with coal or natural gas at very high rates and make use of the processing infrastructures at existing coal and gas plants. Because the torrefied straw pellets have superior structural, chemical and combustion properties to coal, they can replace all coal and turn a coal plant into an entirely biomass-fed power station. First generation pellets are limited to a co-firing rate of 15% in modern IGCC plants.

• Bedding humans or livestock
  • The straw-filled mattress, also known as palliasse, is still used in many parts of the world.
  • It is commonly used as bedding for ruminants and horses. It may be used as bedding and food for small animals, but this often leads to injuries to mouth, nose and eyes as straw is quite sharp.

• Animal feed
  • Straw may be fed as part of the roughage component of the diet to cattle that are on a near maintenance level of energy requirement. It has a low digestible energy and nutrient content. The heat generated when microorganisms in a herbivore's gut digest straw can be useful in maintaining body temperature in cold climates. Due to the risk of impaction and its poor nutrient profile, it should always be restricted to part of the diet.

• Hats
  • There are several styles of straw hats that are made of woven straw.
  • Until about 100 years ago, thousands of women and children in England were employed in plaiting straw for making hats. These days the straw plait is imported.^{[citation needed]}

• Thatching
  • Thatching uses straw, Reed or similar materials to make a waterproof, lightweight roof with good insulation properties. Straw for this purpose is grown specially and harvested using a reaper-binder.
• Packaging
  • Straw is resistant to being crushed and therefore makes a good packing material. A company in France makes a straw mat sealed in thin plastic sheets.
  • Straw envelopes for wine bottles have become rarer, but are still to be found at some wine merchants.

• Paper
  • Straw can be pulped to make paper.

• Archery targets
  • Heavy gauge straw rope is coiled and sewn tightly together. This is no longer done entirely by hand, but is partially mechanised.

• Horse collars
  • Working horses are making a comeback, and there is a need for horse collars stuffed with good quality rye straw.

• Construction material: bricks / cob
  • In many parts of the world, straw is used to bind clay and concrete. This mixture of clay and straw, known as cob, can be used as a building material. There are many recipes for making cob.
  • When baled, straw has excellent insulation characteristics. It can be used, alone or in a post-and-beam construction, to build straw bale houses.
  • Enviroboard can be made from straw.

• Rope
  • Rope made from straw was used by thatchers, in the packaging industry and even in iron foundries.

• Basketry
  • Bee skeps and linen baskets are made from coiled and bound together continuous lengths of straw. The technique is known as lip work.

• Sandals
  • Koreans wear Jipsin, sandals made of straws.

• Horticulture
  • Straw is used in cucumber houses and for mushroom growing.
  • In Japan, certain trees are wrapped with straw to protect them from the effects of a hard winter as well as to use them as a trap for parasite insects.
  • It is also used in ponds to reduce algae by changing the nutrient ratios in the water.
  • The soil under strawberries is covered with straw to protect the ripe berries from dirt, and straw is also used to cover the plants during winter to prevent the cold from killing them.
  • Straw also makes an excellent mulch.

Belarusian Straw Bird

• Decoration
  • Corn dollies
  • Straw marquetry
  • Harvest crosses

• Erosion control
  • Burned area emergency response
  • Ground cover
  • In-stream check dams

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Straw

• Drinking straw
• Hay
• Straw (colour)

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - strå, sugerør, halm, stråhat
adj. - halm-, strå-, hø-

idioms:

• not care a straw    ikke røre en bønne, være ligeglad
• straw in the wind    strå for vinden, strømpil
• straw man    stråmand
• straw mat    stråmåtte, sivmåtte
• straw poll    trække lod med strå, prøvevalg
• straw vote    prøvevalg
• the straw that broke the camel's back    strået, der brækkede kamelens ryg

Nederlands (Dutch)
rietje, stro(halm), van stro, waardeloos

Français (French)
n. - (gén) paille, fétu ou brin de paille, chaume, paille
adj. - de paille

idioms:

• not care a straw    s'en moquer éperdument
• straw in the wind    (être) une indication des choses à venir
• straw man    homme de paille
• straw mat    paillasson, natte (de paille)
• straw poll    sondage non officiel
• straw vote    vote non officiel
• the straw that broke the camel's back    la goutte qui fait déborder le vase

Deutsch (German)
n. - Stroh, Strohhalm, Strohhut
adj. - Stroh-

idioms:

• not care a straw    jmdn. keinen Pfifferling kümmern
• straw in the wind    Vorzeichen
• straw man    Strohmann
• straw mat    Strohmatte
• straw poll    Testabstimmung
• straw vote    Testabstimmung
• the straw that broke the camel's back    der Tropfen, der das Faß zum Überlaufen bringt

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - άχυρο, ψάθα, καλαμάκι ροφήματος, ψάθινο καπέλο, ανοικτό κίτρινο χρώμα
adj. - ψάθινος, ανοιχτοκίτρινος

idioms:

• not care a straw    καθόλου δεν με νοιάζει
• straw in the wind    προμήνυμα, σημείο των καιρών
• straw man    σκιάχτρο, (καθομ.) αχυράνθρωπος, ενεργούμενο, ανύπαρκτο πρόσωπο
• straw mat    αχυρόστρωμα
• straw poll    πρόχειρη δημοσκόπηση
• straw vote    πρόχειρη δημοσκόπηση
• the straw that broke the camel's back    η τελευταία σταγόνα (που έκανε το ποτήρι να ξεχειλίσει)

Italiano (Italian)
filo di paglia, paglia, cannuccia, di paglia

idioms:

• clutch/catch/grasp at a straw    aggrapparsi a un filo di paglia
• draw the short straw    avere sfortuna
• not care a straw    non importa un fico secco
• straw in the wind    indizio
• straw man    capro espiatorio, spaventapasseri
• straw vote/poll    sondaggio, votazione
• the last straw    l'ultima goccia
• the straw that broke the camel's back    la goccia che fa traboccare il vaso

Português (Portuguese)
n. - palha (f), canudo (m)

idioms:

• clutch/catch/grasp at a straw    estar desesperado
• draw the short straw    escolhido para uma tarefa desagradável (fig.)
• not care a straw    não se importar (coloq.)
• straw in the wind    insinuação
• straw man    espantalho (m)
• straw vote/poll    votação (f) experimental
• the last straw    a última gota
• the straw that broke the camel's back    a última gota

Русский (Russian)
солома, соломинка, соломка, соломенная шляпа, пустяк, палевый, соломенный, ненадежный, сомнительный

idioms:

• clutch/catch/grasp at a straw    хвататься за соломинку
• draw the short straw    вытянуть короткую соломинку (жребий)
• not care a straw    наплевать на...
• straw in the wind    намек
• straw man    соломенное чучело, ненадежный человек
• straw vote/poll    предварительное голосование, выборочный опрос общественного мнения
• the last straw    "последняя капля", предел терпения
• the straw that broke the camel's back    последняя капля, переполнившая чашу

Español (Spanish)
n. - paja, pajita
adj. - de paja, pajizo

idioms:

• not care a straw    importar un comino
• straw in the wind    un indicio
• straw man    hombre de paja, testaferro, don nadie
• straw mat    estera de paja
• straw poll    votación de prueba
• straw vote    votación de prueba
• the straw that broke the camel's back    la gota que colmó el vaso, lo que faltaba para el duro

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - sugrör, strå, rör, halm, halmhatt
adj. - värdelös, betydelselös, likgiltig

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
稻草, 麦秆, 吸管, 没有价值的东西, 稻草的, 琐碎的, 稻草色的

idioms:

• not care a straw    亳不在乎
• straw in the wind    苗头, 预兆
• straw man    稻草人, 替别人做伪证者
• straw mat    草席
• straw poll    选举前非官方机构为测试民意举行的假投票, 非正式投票
• straw vote    测验民意的投票
• the straw that broke the camel's back    最后使人无法忍受的事

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 稻草, 麥稈, 吸管, 沒有價值的東西
adj. - 稻草的, 瑣碎的, 稻草色的

idioms:

• not care a straw    亳不在乎
• straw in the wind    苗頭, 預兆
• straw man    稻草人, 替別人做偽證者
• straw mat    草席
• straw poll    選舉前非官方機構為測試民意舉行的假投票, 非正式投票
• straw vote    測驗民意的投票
• the straw that broke the camel's back    最後使人無法忍受的事

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 지푸라기, 하찮은 것, 빨대
adj. - 짚의, 짚으로 만든, 가치 없는

idioms:

• the straw that broke the camel's back    최후의 매우 적은 부담

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - わら, 麦わら, わらでできた, ストロー, 価値のないもの, 少し

idioms:

• clutch/catch/grasp at a straw    藁をもすがる
• straw in the wind    風向きを示すもの
• straw man    わら人形, 仮想の人物, あやつり人形
• straw mat    筵
• straw vote/poll    非公式の投票, 世論調査
• the straw that broke the camel's back    わずかだが耐えられない負担

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) قش, تبن, مصاصه للشرب (صفه) قشي أو تبني اللون, تافه, زائف‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮קש, תבן, גבעול, קשית, קש-מציצה, קש וגבבא, בצבע צהוב-בהיר, דבר חסר-ערך‬
adj. - ‮עשוי קש, חסר-ערך, צהוב-בהיר‬

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