The Last Straw

Welcome to English in a Minute!

Straw is a dried stalk of grain.

So, why are Jonathan and Anna upset about a piece of straw?

Did you hear the lasts changes for tonight’s party?

What now?

We’re not meeting at the restaurant at 7 bit at Julie’s house at 6.

Okay.

And all the food is going to be vegetarian.

That’s the last straw.

I’m just staying home and watching TV tonight.

“The last straw” is that last little difficulty in a long series of difficulties that makes you quit.

This expression comes from an old story about a straw that broke a camel’s back:

A camel was carrying too much on its back.

But the thing that finally broke it was a single piece of straw.

And that’s English in a Minute!