Idiom
straw poll
Meaning
A survey of opinion or a vote that is nonbinding, unofficial, casual, or ad hoc.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“Let's do a quick straw poll to see who wants pizza.”
“We take a straw poll to choose a movie for tonight.”
“A quick straw poll shows that most people want to go hiking.”
“Before the official vote, the chair took a straw poll to gauge how members were leaning.”
“The teacher took a straw poll by asking students to raise their hands if they preferred an afternoon exam.”
“Our manager used a straw poll during the meeting to find out which office chair everyone liked best.”
“The senator's team conducted an informal straw poll at the town hall, knowing its results would carry no weight yet might shape their strategy.”
Examples
simple
“Let's do a quick straw poll to see who wants pizza.”
“We take a straw poll to choose a movie for tonight.”
“A quick straw poll shows that most people want to go hiking.”
contextual
“Before the official vote, the chair took a straw poll to gauge how members were leaning.”
“The teacher took a straw poll by asking students to raise their hands if they preferred an afternoon exam.”
“Our manager used a straw poll during the meeting to find out which office chair everyone liked best.”
complex
“The senator's team conducted an informal straw poll at the town hall, knowing its results would carry no weight yet might shape their strategy.”
Origin
The term likely alludes to the practice of holding a thin plant stalk aloft to determine the direction of the wind. In this construction, the straw serves as a visual indicator for the metaphorical wind of group opinion, providing a brief assessment of the prevailing atmosphere before more substantial measures are taken.
Key words
Related idioms
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