{"id":3645,"date":"2022-05-21T18:59:19","date_gmt":"2022-05-21T18:59:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=3645"},"modified":"2022-05-21T18:59:19","modified_gmt":"2022-05-21T18:59:19","slug":"the-last-straw-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/the-last-straw-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"The Last Straw \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you about to reach your breaking point in a conversation? Maybe you're looking for a way to tell someone that you're tired of taking their toxic behavior toward you?<\/p>\n

You could use \"the last straw<\/em>\" to tell them that you will not bear any more of their words or actions. This post unpacks this expression's meaning and origin.<\/p>\n

Meaning<\/h2>\n

The \"last straw<\/em>\" is the tipping or inflection point in a series of events leading to the moment. The \"straw\" can refer to many things in life. It could be a person's boastful conversation about themselves being more than you can bear to hear.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Or it could refer to giving your kids warnings for running around the house and then using it when they don't listen to your instructions.<\/p>\n

It's the shorter version of the longer Arabic expression \"the straw that broke the camel's back<\/em>.\" It's more common to hear people use the shorter version in conversation.<\/p>\n

Typically, the phrase has a negative connotation and describes a bad action or series of events. It also serves as a veiled threat to get the other party to stop their behavior.<\/p>\n

Example Usage<\/h2>\n

\u201cOkay, kids, I warned you about running around the house. Breaking the vase was the last straw; now you\u2019re grounded for the weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe manager has been getting under my skin lately. He\u2019s intentionally trying to get me to react by treating me unfairly. One of these days, it's going to be the last straw, and I\u2019m going to let him have it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the last straw, my friend. Now I\u2019m reporting you to the police. You can\u2019t do that and expect to get away with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCarol\u2019s behavior tonight was the last straw. I don\u2019t think we have any option but to send her to boarding school to learn some self-discipline.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\"<\/p>\n

Origin<\/h2>\n

The origin of the expression \u201cthe last straw\u201d comes from the longer version, \u201cThe last straw that breaks the camel\u2019s back.\u201d The shorter version is now more common in language, and you probably hear it a lot more often than the full version.<\/p>\n

The earliest use of the phrase appears in the mid-19th century. The Australian newspaper, the Age, published the expression in an 1854 article where it reads as follows.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was to be remembered that it was the last straw that broke the camel\u2019s back, and the Colony ought to do nothing to diminish its credit in the London markets, where it was already so low that nobody would come forward and lend them a shilling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Charles Dickens, the legendary author, used a similar rendition a few years earlier in his work, \u201cDombey and Son,\u201d published in 1848.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the last straw breaks the laden camel\u2019s back, this piece of underground information crushed the sinking spirits of Mr. Dombey.\u201d<\/p>\n