straws
plural of straw
• Swarts, swarts
Source: Wiktionary
Straw, v. t.
Definition: To spread or scatter. See Strew, and Strow. Chaucer.
Straw, n. Etym: [OE. straw, stre, stree, AS. streáw, from the root of E. strew; akin to OFries. stre, D. stroo, G. stroh, OHG. stro, Icel. stra, Dan. straa, Sw. strå. *166. See Strew.]
1. A stalk or stem of certain species of grain, pulse, etc., especially of wheat, rye, oats, barley, more rarely of buckwheat, beans, and pease.
2. The gathered and thrashed stalks of certain species of grain, etc.; as, a bundle, or a load, of rye straw.
3. Anything proverbially worthless; the least possible thing; a mere trifle. I set not a straw by thy dreamings. Chaucer.
Note: Straw is often used in the formation of self-explaining compounds; as, straw-built, straw-crowned, straw-roofed, straw- stuffed, and the like. Man of straw, an effigy formed by stuffing the garments of a man with straw; hence, a fictitious person; an irresponsible person; a puppet.set up a straw man; -- used in disputation. Typically, one party accuses an opponent of setting up a straw man, meaning that the opponent is distorting his true opinion in order to make it look absurd.
– Straw bail, worthless bail, as being given by irresponsible persons. [Colloq. U.S.] -- Straw bid, a worthless bid; a bid for a contract which the bidder is unable or unwilling to fulfill. [Colloq. U.S.] -- Straw cat (Zoöl.), the pampas cat.
– Straw color, the color of dry straw, being a delicate yellow.
– Straw drain, a drain filled with straw.
– Straw plait, or Straw plat, a strip formed by plaiting straws, used for making hats, bonnets, etc.
– To be in the straw, to be brought to bed, as a pregnant woman. [Slang]
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
1 February 2025
(noun) an intellectual hold or understanding; “a good grip on French history”; “they kept a firm grip on the two top priorities”; “he was in the grip of a powerful emotion”; “a terrible power had her in its grasp”
Coffee starts as a yellow berry, changes into a red berry, and then is picked by hand to harvest. The red berry is de-shelled through a water soaking process and what’s left inside is the green coffee bean. This bean then dries in the sun for 3-5 days, where it is then packed and ready for sale.
