straw-clutchingly
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Desperately trying to find a solution or excuse
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
Thử tìm giải pháp hoặc lý do một cách tuyệt vọng
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Literally: clutching at straws
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
He was straw-clutchingly trying to explain his absence
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “straw-clutchingly” mean?
Desperately trying to find a solution or excuse Literally: clutching at straws
Is “straw-clutchingly” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.