Origin of jackstrawjack + strawObs. straw man (sense )
Origin of jackstrawjack- + straw a narrow strip of wood, plastic, etc. used in a game (jackstraws) played by tossing a number of such strips into a jumbled heap and trying to remove them one at a time without moving any of the others
- jackstraws (used with a sing. verb) A game played with a pile of straws or thin sticks, with the players attempting in turn to remove a single stick without disturbing the others.
- One of the straws or sticks used in this game.
- (usually plural) One of the pieces used for the game variously called jackstraws or pick-up-sticks.