windlestraw

 [win-dl-straw, win-l-]  

win·dle·straw

   [win-dl-straw, win-l-]
noun British Dialect.
1.
a withered stalk of any of various grasses.
2.
any of various long-stalked species of grass.
3.
any tall, thin person.
4.
any light or flimsy material or object.
Also, especially Scot., winlestrae.

Origin:
before 1000; Old English windelstrēaw (not attested in ME). See windle, straw
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Windlestraw is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
windlestraw (ˈwɪndəlˌstrɔː)
 
—n
1.  the dried stalk of any of various grasses
2.  anything weak or feeble, esp a thin unhealthy person
 
[Old English windelstrēaw, from windel basket, from windan to wind² + strēawstraw1]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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