| an unofficial vote taken to obtain an indication of the general trend of opinion on a particular issue. |
| straw vote n. An unofficial vote or poll indicating the trend of opinion on a candidate or issue. Also called straw poll. |
| Main Entry: | straw vote |
| Part of Speech: | n |
| Definition: | See straw poll |
straw vote
Also, straw poll. An unofficial vote or poll indicating how people feel about a candidate or issue. For example, Let's take a straw poll on the bill and see how it fares. This idiom alludes to a straw used to show in what direction the wind blows, in this case the wind of public opinion. O. Henry joked about it in A Ruler of Men (1907): "A straw vote only shows which way the hot air blows." [c. 1885]