chaff
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to separate the wheat from the chaff
An idiom that means to distinguish and separate the good from the bad or the important from the unimportant.
Bei der großen Anzahl an Bewerbern müssen wir nun die Spreu vom Weizen trennen.
With the large number of applicants, we now have to separate the wheat from the chaff.
chaff
The empty husks and small plant parts that fall off when grain kernels are threshed.
Nach dem Dreschen fegte der Bauer die Spreu vom Boden der Scheune.
After threshing, the farmer swept the chaff from the barn floor.
Today, the word 'Spreu' (chaff) is used almost only in the fixed idiom 'die Spreu vom Weizen trennen' (to separate the wheat from the chaff). The literal meaning is very rare and limited to agricultural contexts.
Im Auswahlverfahren müssen wir die Spreu vom Weizen trennen.
In the selection process, we have to separate the wheat from the chaff.
The idiom means to distinguish the good and valuable ('der Weizen' — the wheat) from the bad and useless ('die Spreu' — the chaff). The verb is always 'trennen' (to separate).
Ein guter Lektor muss bei einem Manuskript die Spreu vom Weizen trennen können.
A good editor has to be able to separate the wheat from the chaff in a manuscript.
You will find the literal meaning 'husks of grain' almost only in texts about agriculture, history, or biology. In normal everyday life, it practically does not occur.
Der Wind blies die leichte Spreu über den Hof.
The wind blew the light chaff across the yard.
straw
Stroh and Spreu are dry remnants produced when grain is threshed. Stroh consists of the dried stalks, while Spreu consists mainly of empty husks and small plant parts. Stroh is the right word for the stalks, and Spreu for the husks that fall away.
Nach dem Dreschen blieb die leichte Spreu zwischen den Getreidekörnern zurück.
After threshing, the light chaff remained among the grain kernels.
Nach dem Dreschen wurden die trockenen Getreidehalme als Stroh gesammelt.
After threshing, the dried grain stalks were collected as straw.
