🍃 Straws in the Wind: Swayed by the Breeze of Opinion 💭 🍃
A clue or test of public opinion or some other matter; fragmentary evidence. This term draws the analogy between blowing straws that indicate the wind’s direction and a test of some other issue. The idea, with slightly different wording, appears in print from the mid-seventeenth century on. “Take a straw and throw it up into the Air, you shall see by that which way the wind is,” wrote John Selden (Table-Talk: Libels, ca. 1654).
Related Terms:
- Straw Vote: An unofficial tally to show people’s views on an issue or candidate.
- Trial Balloon: A tentative action to gauge public reaction.
- Wind Vane: Instrument used to show wind direction, much like opinions swayed by public sentiment.
Synonyms:
- Indicator
- Gauge
- Barometer
Antonyms:
- Proven Fact
- Certainty
- Definite Proof
Humorous Quote:
- O. Henry made fun of the idea in A Ruler of Men (1907): “A straw vote only shows which way the hot air blows.”
Proverb:
- “A straw shows which way the wind blows.”
Literature:
-
Books:
- “Public Opinion” by Walter Lippmann
- “Media and Democracy” by James Curran
-
Movies:
- Wag the Dog (1997) - A satirical film about media manipulation.
-
Songs:
- “Blowin’ in the Wind” by Bob Dylan
Inspirational Thought:
- “Reading the straws in the wind can guide a path, just as small, seemingly inconsequential moments can reveal the course of our lives.”
### Which of these terms is synonymous with "straw vote"?
- [ ] Storm chaser
- [x] Trial balloon
- [ ] Weather man
- [ ] Compass spin
> **Explanation:** A "trial balloon" is a tentative action to gauge public reaction, similar to the concept of a "straw vote."
### True or False: "Straws in the wind" is an expression indicating a concrete fact.
- [ ] True
- [x] False
> **Explanation:** "Straws in the wind" suggests fragmentary evidence or a clue rather than a concrete fact.
Published by: Wordsmith Wonders Publishing
Date: October 2, 2023
Final Thought:
- “Even the smallest straws caught in the wind can signify larger currents. May you always find the true direction amidst the swirling opinions.”
