Meaning
To be the person selected for an unpleasant task or fate by a random draw: straws of unequal length are held so the ends are hidden, and whoever pulls the shortest one loses. It is now used figuratively for any unlucky assignment nobody wanted, with no actual drawing involved, and often implies that the misfortune came down to pure chance. Informal and neutral, stressing the arbitrariness of the misfortune rather than blame. Regional use: General English.
Origin
Deciding matters by lot is ancient, and drawing straws or reeds of differing lengths is one version of that custom. Etymonline records the English expression 'to draw straws' as a means of deciding something from 1779, adding that the custom itself is probably older still. Merriam-Webster defines 'short straw' as the losing straw in a lottery used to decide or assign something, noting that it is now frequently figurative. The convention that the short straw marks the loser gave the phrase its modern sense of being singled out by chance for something unwelcome. Neither source documents a first printed use of the exact wording 'draw the short straw', so no earlier date than 1779 for the underlying practice can be safely claimed.
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- be left with the short straw
- draw straws
- get the short straw
- pick the short straw
Usage Examples
- Nobody wanted to give the bad news to the client, so we drew straws and I pulled the short one.
- As the newest member of the team, he seems to draw the short straw whenever a case involves ten years of filings.
- Our street always draws the short straw when the council schedules roadworks.