What Is the 'Straw That Broke the Camel's Back'?
2022-10-16
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1And now Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English.
2In life, things can get tough.
3Sometimes, it is good not to let things bother us. Letting things roll off our backs is a good life skill.
4When things roll off our backs, they are out of our minds.
5They no longer bother us.
6But, let's face it ... sometimes, things do bother us. Sometimes in life, we are pushed to our limit.
7So, on today's program, we talk about those times when we have had enough!
8We have a couple of expressions that help us describe that state of mind. They involve the word straw.
9First, let's define straw. Straw is the dry stem of plants like wheat or other grains.
10TheHayManager.com says, "Straw is yellow or golden colored and is a byproduct of the grain harvest."
11In other words, it is a waste product of wheat. But it has many uses.
12In a garden, you can use straw on top of soil to keep it from drying out.
13Straw can also keep weeds from growing.
14Straw, especially dry straw, is not very nutritious.
15But because it is hollow, straw makes excellent bedding for animals.
16Horses, cows, goats, and camels may enjoy a good night's sleep on a straw bed.
17Animals not only sleep on straw. Some may also have to carry bales of straw on their backs.
18And that brings us to this expression: the straw that broke the camel's back.
19Merriam-Webster dictionary says the expression means "the last in a series of bad things that happen to make someone very upset, angry, ..." or some other bad feeling.
20The straw that broke the camel's back was one straw too many.
21With that piece added to the camel's back, the load became too heavy to bear.
22In other words, it is the last thing to happen that makes you give up on something.
23Here is an example: Let's say I have a friend who constantly lets me down.
24When he says he is going to do something, he never does it.
25And he always promises next time will be different.
26Well, one day I told him I was going out of town for two days and needed someone to feed my cat.
27He offered to help. I was not so sure. But he promised that he would take care of my cat Meepers.
28I believed him and left my cat in his care.
29Well, guess what? He forgot to feed her!
30She went two whole days without food! Luckily, Meepers is a very fat cat. But still, that was unforgivable.
31It was the straw that broke the camel's back. I am never trusting him again.
32We have a similar straw expression but without the camel.
33The last straw is the last thing that pushes you to some sort of limit.
34You cannot take a situation anymore because of that last straw.
35Here's another example: Earlier this year, I joined a local yoga studio.
36It was very close to my home. So, that was good.
37But other things about the studio were not.
38It was very small.
39So, when I did yoga positions, I would often get hit by other people.
40That bothered me. Also, the teacher talked too much about modern philosophy during the class.
41That got on my nerves. But then she raised the cost of her classes.
42The price almost doubled!
43That was the last straw.
44I decided just to do yoga at home with a YouTube instructor.
45I save money.
46And if the instructor talks too much, I can just turn down the sound.
47And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories.
48Don't forget to practice using last straw or the straw that broke the camel's back.
49Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo.
1And now Words and Their Stories from VOA Learning English. 2In life, things can get tough. Sometimes, it is good not to let things bother us. Letting things roll off our backs is a good life skill. When things roll off our backs, they are out of our minds. They no longer bother us. 3But, let's face it ... sometimes, things do bother us. Sometimes in life, we are pushed to our limit. 4So, on today's program, we talk about those times when we have had enough! 5We have a couple of expressions that help us describe that state of mind. They involve the word straw. 6First, let's define straw. Straw is the dry stem of plants like wheat or other grains. TheHayManager.com says, "Straw is yellow or golden colored and is a byproduct of the grain harvest." 7In other words, it is a waste product of wheat. But it has many uses. 8In a garden, you can use straw on top of soil to keep it from drying out. Straw can also keep weeds from growing. 9Straw, especially dry straw, is not very nutritious. But because it is hollow, straw makes excellent bedding for animals. Horses, cows, goats, and camels may enjoy a good night's sleep on a straw bed. 10Animals not only sleep on straw. Some may also have to carry bales of straw on their backs. 11And that brings us to this expression: the straw that broke the camel's back. 12Merriam-Webster dictionary says the expression means "the last in a series of bad things that happen to make someone very upset, angry, ..." or some other bad feeling. 13The straw that broke the camel's back was one straw too many. With that piece added to the camel's back, the load became too heavy to bear. In other words, it is the last thing to happen that makes you give up on something. 14Here is an example: Let's say I have a friend who constantly lets me down. When he says he is going to do something, he never does it. And he always promises next time will be different. 15Well, one day I told him I was going out of town for two days and needed someone to feed my cat. He offered to help. I was not so sure. But he promised that he would take care of my cat Meepers. I believed him and left my cat in his care. Well, guess what? He forgot to feed her! She went two whole days without food! Luckily, Meepers is a very fat cat. But still, that was unforgivable. 16It was the straw that broke the camel's back. I am never trusting him again. 17We have a similar straw expression but without the camel. 18The last straw is the last thing that pushes you to some sort of limit. You cannot take a situation anymore because of that last straw. 19Here's another example: Earlier this year, I joined a local yoga studio. It was very close to my home. So, that was good. But other things about the studio were not. It was very small. So, when I did yoga positions, I would often get hit by other people. That bothered me. Also, the teacher talked too much about modern philosophy during the class. That got on my nerves. But then she raised the cost of her classes. The price almost doubled! 20That was the last straw. I decided just to do yoga at home with a YouTube instructor. I save money. And if the instructor talks too much, I can just turn down the sound. 21And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories. 22Don't forget to practice using last straw or the straw that broke the camel's back. 23Until next time ... I'm Anna Matteo. 24Anna Matteo wrote this story for VOA Learning English. 25Below is an English in a Minute video showing another example of "last straw." 26______________________________________________________________ 27Words in This Story 28by-product - n. a product or result produced in addition to the main product or result 29hollow - adj. an unfilled space 30bale - n. a large bundle of goods tightly tied for storing or shipping 31yoga - n. a system of exercises for gaining bodily or mental control and well-being 32studio - n. a place for the study of something