A: Your son’s school arranged for a day trip last week. Did you participate?

B: Yes, I did. I drew the short straw and had to prepare and transport their lunch boxes and snacks.

Note: If you draw the short straw, you are chosen from a number of people to do a task that nobody wants to do. These are not soda straws, but straws found in a horse barn or in a harvested field, such as straws of wheat. They are broken off to various lengths, one being shorter than the others. They are held up, with their lengths concealed by the hand, and the members of the group choose a straw. He who gets the short straw does the undesirable task. People also use “to get the short straw.”