Straw vs Cow - What's the difference?
straw | cow |
(countable) A dried stalk of a cereal plant.
(uncountable) Such dried stalks considered collectively.
(countable) A drinking straw.
a pale, yellowish beige colour, like that of a dried straw.
(figurative) Anything proverbially worthless; the least possible thing.
*XIX c. , recorded by Francis James Child,
*:‘For thy sword and thy bow I care not a straw ,
*:Nor all thine arrows to boot;
*:If I get a knop upon thy bare scop,
*:Thou canst as well shite as shoote.’
*1857 , Anthony Trollope, Barchester Towers :
*:He also decided, which was more to his purpose, that Eleanor did not care a straw for him, and that very probably she did care a straw for his rival.
*1881 , :
*:To be deeply interested in the accidents of our existence, to enjoy keenly the mixed texture of human experience, rather leads a man to disregard precautions, and risk his neck against a straw .
Made of straw.
Of a pale, yellowish beige colour, like that of a dried straw.
A female domesticated ox or other bovine, especially an adult after she has had a calf.
More generally, any domestic bovine regardless of sex or age.
The meat of such animals as food (more commonly called beef).
The female of larger species of mammal, including bovines, moose, whales, seals, hippos, rhinos, manatees, and elephants.
(derogatory, informal) A woman who is considered despicable in some way, especially one considered to be fat, lazy, ugly, argumentative, mean or spiteful.
(informal) Anything that is annoyingly difficult, awkward or graceless.
(informal) A conniption fit or hissy fit; a state of agitation .
(mining) A wedge or brake to stop a machine or car; a chock.
To intimidate; to daunt the spirits or courage of.
* Shakespeare
(UK, dialect) A chimney cowl.
* 1836 , Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers ?
As a proper noun straw
is .As an acronym cow is
(computing).straw
English
Noun
Derived terms
* * strawberryAdjective
(-)- straw hat
Derived terms
* cheese straw * drinking straw * draw the short straw * grasp at straws * jackstraw * the last straw * the final straw * make bricks without straw * man of straw * pine straw * silly straw * straw boss * straw buyer * straw hat * straw in the wind * straw man * straw mushroom * straw poll * the straw that broke the camel's back * straw that stirs the drink * straw vote * straw wine * strawboard * straw-coloured * strawflower * strawworm * windlestrawSee also
* balibuntal * buntal * corn dolly * etiolated * fescue * huarache * leghorn * paillasse * paillette * pallet * parabuntal * rick * sacaton * skep * stipule * stubble * zori *Anagrams
* *cow
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl) (m), (m), from (etyl) .Noun
(wikipedia cow) (en-noun) (see usage notes)- That website is a real cow to navigate.
- (Knight)
Usage notes
The plural cows is the normal plural for multiple individuals, while cattle is used in a more collective sense. The umlaut plurals ky, kye and kine are archaic and no longer in common use.Synonyms
* bitch * bastard, bitch, bugger (UK)Antonyms
* (female domesticated ox or other bovine) bullSee also
* (meat) chicken, pig, pork, goat, lamb, muttonDerived terms
(terms derived from "cow") * cowboy * cow catcher, cowcatcher * cow corner * cowgirl * cowherd * cowmilk, cow milk * cowpoke * cowpool * cowpuncher * cowshed * cow shot * cow tipping * cash cow * have a cow * holy cow * sacred cowSee also
* * beef * bovine * bull * calf * cattle * heifer * steer * low * moo * ox * vealEtymology 2
Probably from (etyl) .Verb
(en verb)- Con artists are not cowed by the law.
- To vanquish a people already cowed .
Etymology 3
Noun
(en noun)- Who could live to gaze from day to day on bricks and slates, who had once felt the influence of a scene like this? Who could continue to exist, where there are no cows but the cows on the chimneypots; nothing redolent of Pan but pan-tiles;