jackstraw

[ jak-straw ]

/ ˈdʒækˌstrɔ /

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noun

one of a group of strips of wood or similar objects, as straws or toothpicks, used in the game of jackstraws.

jackstraws, (used with a singular verb) a game in which players compete in picking up, one by one, as many jackstraws as possible without disturbing the heap.

Obsolete.

a straw-stuffed figure of a man; scarecrow; straw man.
an insignificant person.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of jackstraw

First recorded in 1590–1600; after Jack Straw, name or nickname of one of the leaders of the rebellion headed by Wat Tyler in 1381 in England

Words nearby jackstraw

Jacksonville Beach, “Jack Sprat”, jack staff, jackstay, jackstone, jackstraw, jackstraws, jack-tar, Jack-the-lad, Jack-the-rags, Jack the Ripper

How to use jackstraw in a sentence

The forest, swept as by a giant broom, became a jackstraw tangle of destruction.
Darkness and Dawn|George Allan England
What a jackstraw world this had proved itself to him in this last week!
The Web of the Golden Spider|Frederick Orin Bartlett