Neil
Hello and welcome to Authentic Real English, I'm Neil.
Helen
Hello, I am Helen. Neil，我能請教你一件事兒嗎？
Neil
Sure, go on. What's on your mind?
Helen
Well, 我有兩個好朋友 Theodora 和 Alma，她們一直都很要好，不過最近聽說為了一根稻草 a straw 她們倆鬧翻了。
Neil
They are not getting on because of a straw? Are you sure you heard it right?
Helen
我沒聽錯。Alma said to me when Theodora didn't come to her party, it was the last straw. 聽到了吧，最後的一根稻草！我就想不明白，這稻草這麼細，這麼輕，就能讓兩個朋友翻臉嗎？
Neil
Oh, Alma was just using an expression. What she really meant was, things were not going well between them because of things which happened in the past.
Helen
這倒也是，Theodora 好幾次都沒參加我們的約會，也沒給出理由。
Neil
When Theodora didn't come to Alma's party, that was the final thing that made Alma really angry, she gave up on their friendship.
Helen
噢，原來如此！「The last straw 最後一根稻草」的意思實際上是說當有一系列的問題存在並沒有得到解決時，最後發生的事情即使很小或者微不足道，卻會成為導火索，引爆之前積累下來的問題，成為致命的最後一擊。Alma 因 Theodora 之前多次都沒去聚會已心存不滿，這次終於忍無可忍了。
Neil
It’s an expression that you hear a lot, so very useful to know what it actually means. Let’s hear how it’s used.
Examples
A: I』ve never seen you so angry.
B: I have had such a bad day. I woke up late and rushed out of the house, then missed my bus by seconds, got in to work and was told there would be no pay rise this year. When the dinner lady said I put too much salad on my plate, it was the last straw.
The paper factory has struggled to stay open in the last few years; the new tax charge was the last straw, forcing it to shut down after 30 years in business.
Neil
Just so you know. Some people also say 『the final straw』, it means the same as 『the last straw』.
Helen
Thanks for the clarification. 「最後的一根稻草」有兩種說法，the last straw 和 the final straw，但意思都是一樣的。I do hope my friends can resolve their differences. Friendship is worth saving.
Neil
Absolutely.
Both
Bye.