Question

Straw that Broke the Camel's Back one final problem or misfortune that, added to previous troubles, proves more than a person can bear

Accepted Answer

That last mistake was the straw that broke the camel's back. In 1677 there appeared the expression, "the last feather that breaks the horse's back," which suggested that a horse could carry only so much weight on its back. If the weight of even one feather was added, it might make the horse collapse. Charles Dickens, the famous English novelist of the 1800s, changed that saying to "the straw that broke the camel's back," and today it means that people can take only so much trouble before they reach the limit of their endurance. One additional burden on top of many others might be all it takes to overwhelm a person. This idiom is so well known that it is often shortened to just the "last straw" or "final straw."

Idiom	Straw that Broke the Camel's Back
Example	That last mistake was the straw that broke the camel's back.
Meaning	one final problem or misfortune that, added to previous troubles, proves more than a person can bear
Origin	In 1677 there appeared the expression, "the last feather that breaks the horse's back," which suggested that a horse could carry only so much weight on its back. If the weight of even one feather was added, it might make the horse collapse. Charles Dickens, the famous English novelist of the 1800s, changed that saying to "the straw that broke the camel's back," and today it means that people can take only so much trouble before they reach the limit of their endurance. One additional burden on top of many others might be all it takes to overwhelm a person. This idiom is so well known that it is often shortened to just the "last straw" or "final straw."

Straw Broke Camel's Back Feather Horse Weight Mistake