drawing straws
Picking fate blindly
Drawing straws is a method of random selection where participants each pull a straw from a concealed bundle, with one straw cut shorter than the rest.
Whoever draws the short straw is chosen—typically for an undesirable task or sacrifice: We drew straws to see who had to tell him the bad news.
The phrase extends to any situation requiring an arbitrary decision among equals.
- lotsLarge amount, or parcels
- random selectionChoosing without systematic bias
- randomOccurring without pattern
- chanceLikelihood of occurrence
- selectionChosen item or items
short end · luck · picking · fate · decision · fairness · fair game · gambling · lottery · odd man out · elimination · unlucky · winner · loser · arbitrary · tiebreaker · who goes first · bundle
- probabilityprobability, chance, random, randomness, odds
- chancechance, luck, lottery, dice, randomness
- random selectioncoin flip, dice roll, heads or tails, lottery, raffle
- selectionchoosing, picking, selection committee, shortlist, shortlisting
- gamblesgamble, bet, wager, risk, chance
- counting rhymeseeny meeny, sky blue, red white blue
drawing strawsvoting
Formally registering a choice
deliberation · meritocracy · election · consensus building · informed choice
drawing strawsexecutive decision
Choice made by leadership
pulling rank · handpicking · favoritism · choosing · appointing
drawing, straws, draw, straw, draws, drawn, drawer, drawers, redraw