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Meaning & use

drew the short straw

phrase·Everydayinformal

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UK/ˌdruː ðə ˌʃɔːt ˈstrɔː/
US/ˌdruː ðə ˌʃɔːrt ˈstrɔː/

“drew the short straw” is a form of “draw the short straw”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.

Meanings

  1. phraseidiominformal

    Was chosen, by chance or by bad luck, to do the job or task that nobody wanted.

    Grammar: Past form of draw the short straw; the subject is a person: she drew the short straw.

    Patterns

    • someone drew the short straw
    • draw the short straw and have to do something

    I drew the short straw and had to tell the boss about the mistake.

    Tom drew the short straw and cleaned the kitchen.

    They drew the short straw and had to work through Christmas.

  2. phraseidiomfigurative

    Ended up with the worst or least fair share of something.

    Grammar: Used even when no actual draw took place.

    Patterns

    • draw the short straw in something

    Our team drew the short straw in the schedule, playing three away games first.

    He drew the short straw when it came to office desks.

    The youngest cousin always drew the short straw when sharing out bedrooms.

Word forms

present tensedraw the short straw
past tensedrew the short straw
-ing formdrawing the short straw

Common combinations

drew the short straw and had to
She drew the short straw and had to call the angry customer.
always draws the short straw
The newest employee always draws the short straw.
whoever draws the short straw
Whoever draws the short straw cooks dinner.
unlucky enough to draw the short straw
He was unlucky enough to draw the short straw.

Synonyms and how they differ

got the worst of it
Got the worst of it is a more general complaint, while drew the short straw implies a chance selection.
was the unlucky one
Was the unlucky one is a plain description, while the idiom adds a picture of drawing lots.
lost the draw
Lost the draw is literal about a lottery, while the idiom is used loosely for any unpleasant duty.

Opposites

won the lotterygot the best deal

Word family

draw verb
to pick lots or to pull
short straw noun
the unlucky choice or unwelcome outcome
drawing lots noun
choosing by chance

Commonly confused: drew the short straw or drew a short breath?

drew the short straw vs drew a short breath

Drew a short breath uses drew in a different sense, of inhaling, and is not an idiom.

Practice

Nobody wanted to speak to the angry customer, and Maria ____ and had to do it.

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