[straw] 
| 1. | a single stalk or stem, esp. of certain species of grain, chiefly wheat, rye, oats, and barley. |
| 2. | a mass of such stalks, esp. after drying and threshing, used as fodder. |
| 3. | material, fibers, etc., made from such stalks, as used for making hats or baskets. |
| 4. | the negligible value of one such stalk; trifle; least bit: not to care a straw. |
| 5. | a tube, usually of paper or glass, for sucking up a beverage from a container: to sip lemonade through a straw. |
| 6. | anything of possible but dubious help in a desperate circumstance. |
| 7. | straw man (def. 2). |
| 8. | a straw hat. |
| 9. | of, pertaining to, containing, or made of straw: a straw hat. |
| 10. | of the color of straw; pale yellow. |
| 11. | of little value or consequence; worthless. |
| 12. | sham; fictitious. |
| 13. | catch, clutch, or grasp at a straw, at straws, or at any straw or straws, to seize at any chance, no matter how slight, of saving oneself from calamity. |
| 14. | draw straws, to decide by lottery using straws or strawlike items of different lengths, usually with the short straw or straws determining the person chosen or the loser. |
