| Principal Translations |
| straw n | uncountable (animal fodder: dried cereal) | paja nf |
| | The farmer put straw in the manger for the cows to eat. |
| | El granjero puso paja en el pesebre para que las vacas coman. |
| straw n | (stalk of cereal plant) | paja nf |
| | The farmhand had a straw dangling from the corner of his mouth. |
| | El peón de granja tenía una paja colgando del borde de la boca. |
| straw n | (thin tube for drinking) | pajita, pajilla nf |
| | (DO, EC, PE) | sorbete nm |
| | (MX) | popote nm |
| | (CO, CU, VE) | pitillo nm |
| | The little girl sucked her fizzy drink through a straw. |
| | La niña tomaba su gaseosa con una pajita. |
| straw n as adj | (made of straw) | de paja loc adj |
| | The woman was carrying a straw basket. |
| | La mujer estaba llevando una canasta de paja. |
Compound Forms:
|
| draw the short straw v expr | (stuck with an unwanted task, fate) | tocar la china expr |
| | | pagar el pato expr |
| | (AR, coloquial) | comerse el garrón expr |
| drinking straw n | (for sucking up liquids) | pajita nf |
| | We prefer paper drinking straws because they're environmentally friendly. |
| | Preferimos las pajitas de papel porque son más ecológicas. |
| | | sorbete nm |
| | Preferimos los sorbetes de papel porque son más ecológicos. |
| | (MX) | popote nm |
| | Preferimos los popotes de papel porque son más ecológicos. |
| | (CO) | pitillo nm |
| | Preferimos los pitillos de papel porque son más ecológicos. |
| | (PR) | sorbeto nm |
| | (PE) | cañita nf |
| | Preferimos los sorbetos de papel porque son más ecológicos. |
grasp at straws,
clutch at straws,
grab at straws,
grasp at a straw,
clutch at a straw v expr | informal, figurative (do [sth] desperate) (figurado) | agarrarse a un clavo ardiendo loc verb |
| Note: Usually used in the continuous. |
| | The company tried using a new slogan, but they were clutching at straws; they were doomed to go bankrupt. |
| the last straw n | figurative (final source of irritation) | gota que colma el vaso, gota que rebalsa el vaso expr |
| | That was the last straw! I can't take any more of your abuse; I'm leaving you. |
| | Esto es la gota que colma el vaso, ya estoy harta de tus desprecios; me marcho. |
man of straw,
straw man n | (law: [sb] used as cover for plan) (figurado) | hombre de paja loc nom m |
| | | persona que encubre nf + loc adj |
| | | testaferro nm |
| straw ballot n | (unofficial poll, vote) | votación extraoficial grupo nom |
| straw dog n | figurative ([sth] created to be destroyed) (figurado) | chivo expiatorio loc nom m |
| | ⓘEsta oración no es una traducción de la original. La propuesta fue un chivo expiatorio, en realidad ya se habían decidido por lo otro. |
| straw hat n | (hat woven from dried stalks) | sombrero de paja loc nom m |
| | She was wearing a straw hat to protect her head from the glare of the sun. |
| | Usaba un amplio sombrero de paja para protegerse del sol. |
| | (Chile) | chupalla nf |
| straw man n | figurative (insubstantial argument) | subterfugio nm |
| | The argument was a straw man, which the Prime Minister put up to divert attention away from his own weaknesses. |
| | La polémica no fue más que un subterfugio que el primer ministro preparó para desviar la atención de su propia debilidad. |
| | (lógica) | argumentum ad logicam loc nom m |
| | La polémica no fue más que un argumentum ad logicam que el primer ministro preparó para desviar la atención de su propia debilidad. |
| straw mattress n | (bed padding filled with straw) | colchón de paja grupo nom |
| | People used to use straw mattresses instead of spring mattresses. |
| | La gente solía usar colchones de paja en vez de colchones de resortes. |
straw poll,
also US: straw vote n | (unofficial survey or vote) | encuesta extraoficial nf + adj |
| the straw that broke the camel's back n | figurative (final bad thing) (coloquial, figurado) | la gota que rebalsó el vaso expr |
| | (ES) | la gota que colmó el vaso expr |
| | Ursula had tolerated her husband's bad temper for years, but when he yelled at her mother, that was the straw that broke the camel's back and she kicked him out. |
| | The lawsuit was the straw that broke the camel's back for the struggling business. |
straw colored,
straw-colored (US),
straw coloured,
straw-coloured (UK) adj | (hair: golden yellow) | pajizo/a adj |
| | | de color amarillento loc adj |
| Note: The hyphen may be omitted when the adjective follows the noun. |