English · Idiom Historical

the last straw

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

"Tis the last straw that breaks the camel's back." There is an ultimate point of endurance beyond which calamity breaks a man down.

Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)

Sources & notes

Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.

Topics: Historical slang (1800s)

Common questions

What does “the last straw” mean?

"Tis the last straw that breaks the camel's back." There is an ultimate point of endurance beyond which calamity breaks a man down.

Is “the last straw” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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