draw the short straw

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

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Verb

draw the short straw (third-person singular simple present draws the short straw, present participle drawing the short straw, simple past drew the short straw, past participle drawn the short straw)

1. To select the shortest straw or other object while drawing straws.
2. (idiomatic) To be selected to do an undesirable task (by drawing the shortest straw or otherwise).

   I drew the short straw and got stuck doing the whole project alone.

Translations

to select the shortest straw

• Breton: tennañ plouz berr (br)
• Dutch: aan het kortste eind trekken, het kortste lootje trekken
• Finnish: vetää lyhyt tikku
• French: tirer la courte paille
• German: den Kürzeren ziehen (de), das kürzere Stöckchen ziehen, das kürzere Streichholz ziehen
• Swedish: dra det kortaste strået (sv)

to be selected to do an undesirable task

• Dutch: aan het kortste eind trekken, het kortste lootje trekken
• Finnish: vetää lyhyt tikku, jäädä Musta Pekka käteen
• French: tirer la courte paille
• German: den Kürzeren ziehen (de)
• Spanish: bailar con la más fea
• Swedish: dra det kortaste strået (sv)

See also

• short end of the stick
• shit end of the stick