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The straw that breaks the camel's back



 
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The straw that breaks the camel's back #1 (permalink) Sun May 07, 2006 11:57 am   The straw that breaks the camel's back
 

Hello!. I?m fine. And you? THanks in advance!

I have been taken a look at this idiom. I mean
I was fed up with him ?cause he was always
telling me he would give me that money but that never
happened. One day, after a long time, I went to a park.
He told me to go there ?cause he was going
to give that money to me definitely. After waiting
for an hour, two, even three hours, I had to
go away because he didn?t turn up. That was the
straw that breaks the camel?s back and...

My questions:

1.- I imagine I used correctly the idiom, Didn?t I?

2.- Well, is there another idiom that means the same?


Thanks a million!

Enjoy it!

Jes?s
Jesus1
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Joined: 20 Apr 2006
Posts: 193

Straw #2 (permalink) Sun May 07, 2006 12:12 pm   Straw
 

Hi Jesus1,

We usually say: That was the last straw a saying from the Bible. Other expressions could be: And that did it! That was enough! That was a step too far! That was the pink limit! That took the biscuit!

Alan
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Enough is enough! #3 (permalink) Sun May 07, 2006 19:26 pm   Enough is enough!
 

Another idiom similar in meaning is: That was the drop that filled/spilled the glass/cup. If you search for the phrase 'that was the drop that' in Google (don't forget to open it with quotation marks), you'll find many variations of the idiom. It's amazing what a little drop can do: from tippling the scales or making the bucket flow to breaking the dam!
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Word #4 (permalink) Sun May 07, 2006 19:29 pm   Word
 

Hi Conchita,

Going to have to be brutally honest with you: is your use of tippling a pun or a typo?

Alan
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Word #5 (permalink) Sun May 07, 2006 19:40 pm   Word
 

Alan wrote:
Hi Conchita,

Going to have to be brutally honest with you: is your use of tippling a pun or a typo?

Alan

Embarassed and Laughing

That set me off laughing again. It was a typo, but why did I have to use precisely the word 'tipple'?

My, what a blow to my reputation!
Conchita
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The straw that breaks the camel's back #6 (permalink) Mon May 08, 2006 2:47 am   The straw that breaks the camel's back
 

Hi! I am familiar with the phrase,"That was the last straw", but I'm not sure I ever heard of "That was the last straw that broke the camel's back." Is this saying correct? Please give an example which uses this phrase or saying so I will know how to use it. Thanks.
Chocolatee
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The straw that breaks the camel's back #7 (permalink) Tue May 09, 2006 9:32 am   The straw that breaks the camel's back
 

chocolatee wrote:
Hi! I am familiar with the phrase,"That was the last straw", but I'm not sure I ever heard of "That was the last straw that broke the camel's back." Is this saying correct? Please give an example which uses this phrase or saying so I will know how to use it. Thanks.

'That was the straw that broke the camel's back' is the age-old proverb from which the idiom 'That was the last straw' is derived:

Quote:
The straw that broke the camel's back is the last thing you are willing to accept after which you will not put up with any more. Example: "You broke a lot of rules and we tried to ignore it. But stealing money from us was the straw that broke the camel's back. We're sending you home to your parents."

You are at the last straw when you are just about to lose your patience. The straw that broke the camel's back is the last thing that that happened that finally made you upset. Example: "He came to work late every day that week. Then on Friday, he didn't show up at all." Reply: "That was the straw that broke the camel's back."

There is a limit to how much straw (long yellow grass) a camel can carry on its back. If you keep putting more straw on top, it will finally break the camel's back. When you are at the last straw you are finally angry and will not take any more. Example: "You have been rude to me all day. I've had it. That's the last straw!"

Quoted from GoEnglish.com

Quote:
One of the earliest usages of this phrase was in Charles Dickens' Dombey and Son where he says "As the last straw breaks the laden camel's back", meaning that there is a limit to everyone's endurance, or everyone has his breaking point. Dickens was writing in the nineteenth century and he may have received his inspiration from an earlier proverb, recorded by Thomas Fuller in his 'Gnomologia' as 'Tis the last feather that breaks the horse's back.'

Quoted from Answers.com
Conchita
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