Hi everyone!!!
could somebody explain meaning of “broke the camel’s back”
This expression comes from an Arabic proverb, which you can read about here:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_that … l%27s_back
“The straw that broke the camel’s back” means that a person was tolerant for a long time, but then someone did one more thing to him and he lost his temper.
“I let that kid harass me for weeks, but when he insulted me again today, that was that straw that broke the camel’s back. I knocked his teeth out.”
“My boss has always been terrible, but when he asked me to lie for him today, that was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I quit my job.”
Most of the time, instead of saying “the straw that broke the camel’s back”, we just say “the last straw”.
Now see if you can guess the meaning of the English expression “the camel’s nose under the tent”.
(1) On Monday, Tom hit his little sister. His parents told him to behave better.
(2) On Tuesday, Tom said a bad word to his teacher. His parents told him to behave better.
(3) On Wednesday, Tom ate the whole lemon pie and left nothing for the rest of the family. His parents told him to behave better.
(4) On Thursday, Tom refused to help his mother clean the house. His parents told him to behave better.
(5) On Friday, Tom stole $5 from his father’s wallet.
His mother said, “You have finally gone too far. What you did today is the STRAW THAT BROKE THE CAMEL’S BACK.”
His father said, "That’s right, Tom. Here’s your punishment:
No computer use for three months.
No ice cream for five months.
No dates with your girlfriend for six months.
No cellphone use for seven months."