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jackstraw

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jack⋅straw

  [jak-straw]
Use jackstraw in a Sentence
–noun
1. one of a group of strips of wood or similar objects, as straws or toothpicks, used in the game of jackstraws.
2. jackstraws, (used with a singular verb) a game in which players compete in picking up, one by one, as many jackstraws as possible without disturbing the heap.
3. Obsolete.
a. a straw-stuffed figure of a man; scarecrow; straw man.
b. an insignificant person.
Origin:
1590–1600; after Jack Straw, name or nickname of one of the leaders of the rebellion headed by Wat Tyler in 1381 in England
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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jack·straw   (jāk'strô')   
n.  

  1. jackstraws (used with a sing. verb) A game played with a pile of straws or thin sticks, with the players attempting in turn to remove a single stick without disturbing the others.

  2. One of the straws or sticks used in this game.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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