phrase🎓 English idiom

the last straw

the final problem that makes you give up

What it means

The final small problem or annoyance that, added to many others, finally makes a situation unbearable and pushes someone to act. It marks the point where patience runs out.

Examples

  • His constant lateness was the last straw, so she ended it.
  • Losing the contract was the last straw for the struggling firm.
  • When he forgot her birthday again, that was the last straw.
  • The broken promise was the last straw, and I quit on the spot.

Where it comes from

From the proverb 'the straw that broke the camel's back', the idea that one final, tiny piece of weight can overwhelm an already overloaded animal. The expression became common in the 19th century.

Related idioms

#throw in the towel#add insult to injury#get out of hand#out of the frying pan into the fire

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