{"id":3782,"date":"2022-05-18T16:07:36","date_gmt":"2022-05-18T16:07:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/?p=3782"},"modified":"2022-05-18T16:07:36","modified_gmt":"2022-05-18T16:07:36","slug":"the-straw-that-broke-the-camels-back-meaning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english-grammar-lessons.com\/the-straw-that-broke-the-camels-back-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"The Straw that Broke the Camel\u2019s Back \u2013 Meaning, Origin and Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you looking for an expression to tell someone that you\u2019re at the tipping point of your emotional scale? Are you looking for a veiled warning to get the other person to stop their words or actions? If that\u2019s the case, you could use \u201cthe straw that broke the camel's back<\/em>\u201d to tell them you\u2019ve had it with their behavior. This post unpacks this expression's meaning and origin.<\/p>\n

Meaning<\/h2>\n

The \u201cstraw that broke the camel's back<\/em>\u201d means an action or conversation that causes a person to reach their breaking point. It describes an inflection point and causes a change, either in the situation or in the person's behavior.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Example Usage<\/h2>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the straw that broke the camel\u2019s back. I\u2019m not willing to do any more of this additional work until you compensate me for it. I don\u2019t work for free, and I demand overtime.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cTelling Sally that he was out with friends that night was the straw that broke the camel\u2019s back in their relationship. He didn\u2019t realize Sally saw him with her and told Kim about it. Now she\u2019s breaking up with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLosing that account because of failed record-keeping was the straw that broke the camel\u2019s back for management. They decided to invest in the CRM system at the next management meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGetting caught by the police was the straw that broke the camel's back for my mom. She told me that if the cops ever brought me home, she would send me off to boarding school for good.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Origin<\/h2>\n

The origin of the expression \u201cthe straw that broke the camel\u2019s back\u201d comes from an Arabic proverb. Some traders in the early days of commerce would load their camel\u2019s back with straw to the point where the camel would buckle under the weight of its cargo.<\/p>\n

The earliest use of the expression in print comes from the mid-19th century. It appeared in The Age, an Australian newspaper, published in an article in December 1854, where it appears 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

Legendary author Charles Dickens also used a similar rendition of the phrase a few years earlier, in 1848, in his work, \u201cDombey and Son.\u201d<\/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