The last/final straw 忍无可忍，使人最终崩溃的一击

The last/final straw 忍无可忍，使人最终崩溃的一击

Neil

Hello and welcome to Authentic Real English, I'm Neil.

Helen

Hello, I am Helen. Neil，我能请教你一件事儿吗？

Neil

Sure, go on. What's on your mind?

Helen

Well, 我有两个好朋友 Theodora 和 Alma，她们一直都很要好，不过最近听说为了一根稻草 a straw 她们俩闹翻了。

Neil

They are not getting on because of a straw? Are you sure you heard it right?

Helen

我没听错。Alma said to me when Theodora didn't come to her party, it was the last straw. 听到了吧，最后的一根稻草！我就想不明白，这稻草这么细，这么轻，就能让两个朋友翻脸吗？

Neil

Oh, Alma was just using an expression. What she really meant was, things were not going well between them because of things which happened in the past.

Helen

这倒也是，Theodora 好几次都没参加我们的约会，也没给出理由。

Neil

When Theodora didn't come to Alma's party, that was the final thing that made Alma really angry, she gave up on their friendship.

Helen

噢，原来如此！“The last straw 最后一根稻草”的意思实际上是说当有一系列的问题存在并没有得到解决时，最后发生的事情即使很小或者微不足道，却会成为导火索，引爆之前积累下来的问题，成为致命的最后一击。Alma 因 Theodora 之前多次都没去聚会已心存不满，这次终于忍无可忍了。

Neil

It’s an expression that you hear a lot, so very useful to know what it actually means. Let’s hear how it’s used.

Examples

A: I’ve never seen you so angry.

B: I have had such a bad day. I woke up late and rushed out of the house, then missed my bus by seconds, got in to work and was told there would be no pay rise this year. When the dinner lady said I put too much salad on my plate, it was the last straw.

The paper factory has struggled to stay open in the last few years; the new tax charge was the last straw, forcing it to shut down after 30 years in business.

Neil

Just so you know. Some people also say ‘the final straw’, it means the same as ‘the last straw’.

Helen

Thanks for the clarification. “最后的一根稻草”有两种说法，the last straw 和 the final straw，但意思都是一样的。I do hope my friends can resolve their differences. Friendship is worth saving.

Neil

Absolutely.

Both

Bye.