jackstraw

[ jak-straw ]

noun

1. one of a group of strips of wood or similar objects, as straws or toothpicks, used in the game of jackstraws.
2. 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.
3. Obsolete.
   1. a straw-stuffed figure of a man; scarecrow; straw man.
   2. an insignificant person.

Word History and Origins

Origin of jackstraw¹

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

Example Sentences

The forest, swept as by a giant broom, became a jackstraw tangle of destruction.

From Project Gutenberg

What a jackstraw world this had proved itself to him in this last week!

From Project Gutenberg