straw
/strɔː/noun
उच्चारण स्ट्रॉ
पुआल, भूसा; स्ट्रॉ
Basic wordPYP · asked 6 times
Asked in previous papers
as idiom
+1 more
SSC Exams before 2018- 1
[U, C]
the dried stems of wheat or rice, used as food for animals or for making mats; a thin tube of plastic or paper used for drinking through
पुआल, भूसा; स्ट्रॉ
- a straw hat
- drink juice through a straw
- Cows were chewing straw in the barn.
+ 2 more examples
- She sipped her lassi through a paper straw.
- The roof of the hut was made of straw.
§Structures (grammar patterns) 4
straw (uncountable): dried stalks
As the dried stems of wheat, rice or barley used for animals' bedding and thatch, 'straw' is uncountable. Say 'some straw', not 'a straw' or 'straws'.
गेहूँ, धान या जौ के सूखे डंठलों के अर्थ में 'straw' uncountable है। 'Some straw' कहें, 'a straw' या 'straws' नहीं।
- The farmer spread fresh straw in the cattle shed.
- The hut had a roof of straw.
a straw (countable): drinking tube
For the thin tube used to sip a drink, 'straw' is countable, and you drink 'through' or 'with' a straw.
पेय पीने की पतली नली के अर्थ में 'straw' countable है, और इसके साथ 'through' या 'with' आता है।
- The child sipped the lassi through a straw.
the last straw
A fixed idiom for the final small problem that makes a bad situation impossible to bear.
यह स्थिर मुहावरा उस अंतिम छोटी परेशानी के लिए है जो पहले से बुरी स्थिति को असहनीय बना दे।
- When the bus broke down too, it was the last straw.
clutch at straws
To try desperate and unlikely hopes when there is little chance of success.
सफलता की संभावना कम होने पर निराशा में अनिश्चित उपायों का सहारा लेना।
- With only a week left, he was clutching at straws.
+Collocations 4
adjective + straw
drygoldenlooseplasticpaperbent
- Many cafés now give paper straws instead of plastic ones.
straw + noun
hatmatbaleroofbasketpoll
- The villagers sat on a straw mat.
verb + straw
clutch atdrawburnpile upbale
- After the harvest, farmers burn the leftover straw.
noun + of straw
bale ofbundle ofheap ofroof ofbed of
- A heap of straw lay beside the barn.
“More examples 5
- Radhika slept on a bed of straw in the village fair tent.
राधिका मेले के तंबू में पुआल के बिस्तर पर सोई।
- The last straw for the shopkeeper was a rise in rent.
दुकानदार के लिए अंतिम तिनका किराए में वृद्धि थी।
- Straw is used to make mats, hats and even paper.
पुआल से चटाइयाँ, टोपियाँ और काग़ज़ भी बनाए जाते हैं।
- She drank the sugarcane juice with a straw.
उसने गन्ने का रस नली से पिया।
- The straw poll showed most students wanted a longer break.
अनौपचारिक मतदान से पता चला कि अधिकतर विद्यार्थी लंबा अवकाश चाहते थे।
!Common mistakes 3
✗ The cow is eating a straw.
✓ The cow is eating some straw.
When 'straw' means dried stalks it is uncountable, so it cannot take 'a'.
सूखे डंठलों के अर्थ में 'straw' uncountable है, इसलिए उसके साथ 'a' नहीं लगता।
✗ A drowning man catches a straw.
✓ A drowning man will clutch at a straw.
The proverb uses 'clutch at' (or 'grasp at'), not 'catch'.
इस कहावत में 'clutch at' (या 'grasp at') आता है, 'catch' नहीं।
✗ That was the final straw for me.
✓ That was the last straw for me.
The idiom is 'the last straw'; 'final' is not used.
सही मुहावरा 'the last straw' है; इसमें 'final' नहीं आता।
¶Idioms 5
the last straw / the straw that breaks the camel's back
the last in a series of bad events, etc. that makes it impossible for you to accept a situation any longer
अंतिम असहनीय बात, सहनशक्ति की हद
- His rude reply was the last straw; she resigned the next day.
- The fare hike was the straw that broke the camel's back for commuters.
- The fifth power cut of the day was the last straw for the angry residents.
a man of straw
a person who is weak or of no importance, or who has no money or real power
कमज़ोर या प्रभावहीन व्यक्ति, नाम मात्र का व्यक्ति
- The director was a man of straw who did whatever the owners wanted.
- Don't lend him money; he's a man of straw.
a drowning man will clutch at a straw
a person who is in serious trouble or danger will try anything, however small or unlikely, that might save them
डूबते को तिनके का सहारा; मुसीबत में फँसा आदमी हर छोटी उम्मीद का सहारा लेता है
- After failing in every treatment, he even tried a quack's remedy; a drowning man will clutch at a straw.
- The losing party made wild promises in the last week of the campaign, like a drowning man clutching at a straw.
a straw in the wind
a small sign of what may happen in the future
आने वाली बात का छोटा-सा संकेत
- The fall in sales is a straw in the wind for the whole industry.
- Experts saw the minister's remark as a straw in the wind.
clutch/grasp at straws
to try all possible means to find hope or a solution in a difficult situation, even though there is very little chance of success
डूबते को तिनके का सहारा लेना, हताशा में कोई भी उपाय आज़माना
- The defence lawyer was clutching at straws with that argument.
- With no real evidence, the police were grasping at straws.
§Grammar and usage
Environment: stubble burning (parali) in Punjab and Haryana adds to Delhi's winter air pollution.
पर्यावरण में पंजाब और हरियाणा में पराली जलाना दिल्ली के सर्दियों के वायु प्रदूषण को बढ़ाता है।
“Collocations, idioms and sayings
The last straw or the straw that broke the camel's back (the final problem that makes a situation unbearable), clutch at straws (try anything to escape a difficult situation, even if it is unlikely to work; 'A drowning man clutches at a straw'), draw the short straw (be chosen to do an unpleasant task), a straw poll (an informal survey of opinion).
Idioms बहुत पूछे जाते हैं: the last straw या the straw that broke the camel's back (वह अंतिम समस्या जो स्थिति असहनीय बना दे), clutch at straws (कठिन स्थिति से बचने के लिए कुछ भी आज़माना, भले सफल न हो; 'डूबते को तिनके का सहारा'), draw the short straw (अप्रिय काम के लिए चुना जाना), a straw poll (राय का अनौपचारिक सर्वेक्षण)।