straight

Etymology

From Middle English streight, streght, streiȝt, the past participle of strecchen (“to stretch”), from Old English streċċan (past participle ġestreaht, ġestreht), from Proto-West Germanic *strakkjan (“to stretch”). Doublet of straught.

adj

1. Not crooked or bent; having a constant direction throughout its length.
   The other people, I presume, are supposed to be standing to attention, but they're all smiling at me. The lines are not even straight. March 22 2011, Adharanand Finn, The Guardian
2. (of a path, trajectory, etc.) Direct, undeviating.
   Now, as the world knows, the straightest way to the heart of the honest voter is through the women of the land, and the straightest way to the heart of the women is through the children of the land; and one method of winning both, with rural politicians, is to kiss the babies wide and far. 1913, John Fox, Jr., The Kentuckians, page 185
   He had no time to set himself, but his throw was straight and true. Pick slid in, spikes high, and Schang tagged him in the ribs a foot or two from the plate. 2000, Allan Wood, Babe Ruth and the 1918 Red Sox, page 293
   Even without hovering drones, a lurking assassin, a thumping score and a denouement, the real-life story of Edward Snowden, a rogue spy on the run, could be straight out of the cinema. But, as with Hollywood, the subplots and exotic locations may distract from the real message: America’s discomfort and its foes’ glee. 2013-06-29, “Travels and travails”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8842, page 55
3. Perfectly horizontal or vertical; not diagonal or oblique.
   Mr. Coniff: He did not have his hat on straight; that is the one thing, is it? 1925, United States House Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee No. 1, Charges Against William E. Baker, U.S. District Judge
   There's nothing more annoying than taking a great picture, only to find that the horizon isn't straight. 2004, Chris Weston, 500 Digital Photography Hints, Tips, and Techniques
4. (cricket) Describing the bat as held so as not to incline to either side; on, or near a line running between the two wickets.
   Steyn continues and it's all a bit more orderly down his end as O'Brien defends the first three balls with a straight bat and a respectful dip of the head. March 15 2011, Alan Gardner, Barney Ronay, The Guardian
5. (engineering, of an internal-combustion engine) Having all cylinders in a single straight line; in-line.
6. Direct in communication; unevasive, straightforward.
   Tony Blair issued a direct challenge to the IRA yesterday when he demanded they give straight answers to three simple questions[…]. 24 April 2003, Rosie Cowan, The Guardian
   What's more, he actually tries to answer a straight question with a straight answer. December 2 2020, Andy Byford talks to Paul Clifton, “I enjoy really big challenges...”, in Rail, page 50
7. Free from dishonesty; honest, law-abiding.
   ‘It wasn't the proper thing, squoire. It wasn't straight.’ 1879, Anthony Trollope, John Caldigate
   How easy is it to go straight after a life spent in and out of prison? August 4 2010, The Guardian, Out of prison and trying to go straight
8. Serious rather than comedic.
   Allan Blye, a CBC-TV mainstay in the early Sixties, worked as a singer, writer and straight and comedic actor. 1988, Ed Gould, Entertaining Canadians: Canada's international stars, 1900-1988, Cappis Pr Pub Ltd
   All of Peter Schickele's music, both straight and comedic are integrated side by side in this chapter. 2004, Tammy Ravas, Peter Schickele: A Bio-bibliography, Greenwood Publishing Group
   More success followed, both straight and comedic, with hits such as Dead Poets' Society (1989), in which Williams scored another Oscar nomination for skilfully handling a classic "rogue teacher" role that hovers just this side of sentimentality,[…] 2005, Bob McCabe, The Rough Guide to Comedy Movies, Rough Guides Limited
9. In proper order; as it should be.
   Oh, music, how he loved it; it seemed to set everything straight all at once in his head. 2007, Grant Allen, What's Bred in the Bone, page 140
   "If you wonder why folks can't take the news seriously, here's Exhibit A," said one blogger. "Lord Jesus, how can the reporter file this story with a straight face?" 15 August 2010, Paul Gallagher, The Observer
10. In a row, in unbroken sequence; consecutive.
    After four straight wins, Mudchester United are top of the league.
    It moves them from 17th to 12th on seven points, while Bolton are now bottom of the table with five straight defeats. September 24, 2011, David Ornstein, “Arsenal 3-0 Bolton”, in BBC Sport
    As of October 29th, three-month dollar Libor (the rate at which banks borrow from each other) had fallen for 13 straight days and was nearly one-and-a-half percentage points below its October 10th level. 30 October 2008, “Bad vibrations”, in The Economist
11. (tennis) Describing the sets in a match of which the winner did not lose a single set.
    Murray started well against Marcos Baghdatis before slumping to defeat in straight sets and the British No1 admitted he may not have been mentally prepared for the rigours of the ATP Tour after a gruelling start to 2011. 2011 February 10, Press Association
12. (US, politics) Making no exceptions or deviations in one's support of the organization and candidates of a political party.
    a straight Republican
    a straight Democrat
13. (US, politics) Containing the names of all the regularly nominated candidates of a single party and no others.
    a straight ballot
14. (colloquial) Conventional; mainstream; socially acceptable.
    Although Eyles, the minor celebrity, is respected by his co-workers, he looks out of place among the dozens of short-haired, short-sleeved technocrats who man the Lab. “No doubt about it,” he says, “there are an awful lot of people around here you’d have to call straight.” 1971-03-18, Timothy Crouse, “Don Eyles: Extra! Weird-Looking Freak Saves Apollo 14!”, in Rolling Stone
    You say you've got to go home / Well at least there's someone there that you can talk to / And you never have to face up to the night on your own / Jesus, it must be great to be straight 1994, “Do You Remember the First Time?”, in Jarvis Cocker (lyrics), His ‘n’ Hers, performed by Pulp
    ‘Her last album was a bit too straight,’ he says, ‘but this one puts her in a more contemporary framework and softens her music.’ 17 October 1998, Eileen Fitzpatrick, Dominic Pride, Billboard
    "When you say he's a straight guy, you mean[…]?" I held up my left hand as if it were a shield and spun my ring around. I told her: "He works on Wall Street.[…]He wouldn't understand my business. He's always had a straight job. His entire life he's been so – so normal that he doesn't even know how normal he is.[…]He doesn't know I'm a hooker. I'm pretending to be a straight chick. And it's working! And that makes him a straight guy. It's ... I feel like Dr. Frankenhooker." 2007, Tracy Quan, Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl: A Novel, New York, N.Y.: Crown Publishers
15. (colloquial) Heterosexual.
    We only appear straight for the first five seconds. Just walking down the street, in the diner, or at the boardwalk, we hear, "Is she a man? Is she a woman? If she is a straight woman, what is she doing with this gay man?" We check in with each other. "What do you think, is it okay? I think we should go. I think we should cross over to the other side. Danger." 1997, Laura Harris, Elizabeth Crocker, Femme: Feminists, Lesbians, and Bad Girls, New York, N.Y.: Routledge, page 196
    ["][…]He's a straight guy who does drag." At that, the man laughed. "Oh, you're putting me on!" He decided I must have been pulling his leg the whole time. He glanced back at my husband again. "So what's his number?" "The same as mine." 2003, Helen Boyd, My Husband Betty: Love, Sex, and Life with a Crossdresser, New York, N.Y.: Thunder's Mouth Press, page 187
    Some of my friends – gay and straight – seem unable to understand the close but platonic nature of my and Gian's relationship, but have been supportive. 17 September 2007, Layla Kumari, The Guardian
    Angela smiles. ‘I'm straight, Zoe, and I'm happily married.’ 2011, Jodi Picoult, Sing You Home, page 273
    Every other mode of social discourse is "other," whether it be termed gay (or the newly acceptable queer), bisexual, or asexual, or embodied in the concept of the spinster, the confirmed bachelor, the old maid, or the same-sex couple who will never fit into the "straight" world, and doesn't or don't want to. The state of nonstraightness is essentially suspect; it is not seen as "right [or] correct." 2012, Wheeler Winston Dixon, Straight: Constructions of Heterosexuality in the Cinema, Albany, N.Y.: State University of New York Press, page 1
    Why did he have to be straight? It's my tragedy. When we went camping with the school, we shared a tent. I was hoping for a Brokeback Mountain moment. I mean, I know he's straight, but there's always hope. 2013, Katie Price, He's the One, London: Century, page 233
16. (colloquial, of a romantic or sexual relation) Occurring between people of opposite sex (sometimes, but not always, specifically between heterosexual people).
    straight marriage, sex, relationships
    However, a "man/woman relationship" with a bisexual person in it, is not a "straight" relationship[…] 2013, Shiri Eisner, Bi: Notes for a Bisexual Revolution, Seal Press, page 100
    What was possible family-wise was fairly limited, though many gays, lesbians, and bisexuals had children in straight relationships and then came out. 2015, Cara Bergstrom-Lynch, Lesbians, Gays, and Bisexuals Becoming Parents or Remaining Childfree: Confronting Social Inequalities, Lexington Books, page 6
17. (slang, sex work) Related to conventional sexual intercourse.
    Coordinate term: French
18. (colloquial) Not using alcohol, drugs, etc.
    For all the boredom the straight life brings, it's not too bad. 1989, Gus Van Sant, Drugstore Cowboy
    ‘Alex's dad used a lot of drugs. He's been straight for years now, but it took a long time for him to be able to deal with his feelings.’ 2001, Ruella Frank, Body of Evidence, page 28
19. (fashion) Not plus size; thin.
    The shirts only come in straight sizes, not in plus sizes.
    shopping at a straight-sized store
20. (rare, now chiefly religion) Strait; narrow.
    Egypt is a long country, but it is straight, that is to say, narrow. c. 1360, Sir John Mandeville, The Travels of Sir John Mandeville
    that the old streets are unfit for the present frequency of Coaches; and that the passage of Ludgate is a throat too straight for the body. 1814, John Britton, Edward Wedlake Brayley, Thomas Hood, The Beauties of England and Wales
    Enter ye into the straight gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth unto destruction, and many go in thereat; because straight is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. 1893, The Pulpit: A Magazine of Sermons - Volume 8, page 322
    Family or Gentile expansion: “Behold now the place where we dwell with thee is too straight for us.” 1894, American Anthropologist, page 153
    One is a wide gate and broad way seeker, while the other is the straight gate and narrow way seeker. 2013, Dr. Apostle Emmanuel Adebiyi, Purposes of the Cross
21. (obsolete) Stretched out; fully extended.
22. (slang) Thorough; utter; unqualified.
    A real pimp is a gentleman, but these are pimps in gorilla suits. They hang around pimps, they have hoes on the track working for them, they may even look like pimps, but they are straight simps. 2012, Pimpin' Ken, PIMPOLOGY: The 48 Laws of the Game, page 11
23. Of spirits: undiluted, unmixed; neat.
    Real cowboys know how to rope, ride a horse and drink whisky straight. 2003, Ron Jordan, Considerations
    The Martini is still in belief, if not in fact, the centerpiece of a rite, and people who would not drink straight gin on the rocks will drink straight gin on the rocks if it is called a Martini. 2003, Lowell Edmunds, Martini, Straight Up, page 94
24. (telegraphy, historical, of a telegram) Sent at a full rate for immediate delivery; being a fast telegram.
    “Was it a straight message?” Miss Jenny asked. The other said yes and she added: “Horace must have got rich, like the soldiers say all the Y.M.C.A. did. Well, if it has taught a man like Horace to make money, the war was a pretty good thing, after all.” 1964 [1929], William Faulkner, Sartoris (The Collected Works of William Faulkner), London: Chatto & Windus, page 23
25. (sciences, mathematics) Concerning the property allowing the parallel transport of vectors along a course that keeps tangent vectors remain as such throughout that course (a course which is straight, a straight curve, is a geodesic).
26. (informal, of a person) OK, all right, fine; in a good state or situation.
    "Is something on your mind?" "Nah, I'm straight".
    Just making sure you're straight
27. (informal, of people, reciprocal) On good terms.
    We had a bit of a disagreement, but we're straight now.

adv

1. Of a direction relative to the subject, precisely; as if following a direct line.
   The door will be straight ahead of you.
   Go straight back.
2. Directly; without pause, delay or detour.
   On arriving at work, he went straight to his office.
3. Continuously; without interruption or pause.
   He claims he can hold his breath for three minutes straight.
4. Of speech or information, without prevarication or holding back; directly; straightforwardly; plainly.

noun

1. Something that is not crooked or bent such as a part of a road or track.
   After four grueling laps, the race had come down to a sprint. Into the straight, although my legs were burning, I called on them for more, and they responded. On my inside the maroon singlet came with me, until it was just the two of us heading for the line. 2009, Robert Newton, Runner, New York, N.Y.: Alfred A. Knopf, page 191
   Seppi started the engine, then shifted first gear and sped away into second, then third and fourth gear. Frank heard the roar of the Porsche's engine further down the straight and the back short straight. He held a stopwatch in his hand, waiting for him to come up into the straight from the hairpin curve. 2011, Gene W. Zepp, 24 Heures Du Mans, [S.l.]: Xlibris, page 19
2. (poker) Five cards in sequence.
3. (colloquial) A heterosexual.
   My friends call straights "heteros".
4. (slang) A normal person; someone in mainstream society.
   You live with straights who tell you you was king / Jump when your momma tell you anything 1971, John Lennon (lyrics and music), “How Do You Sleep?”, in Imagine
   Boys! Boys! You're scaring the straights, okay? Is there any way that we could do this tomorrow? 1989, Ghostbusters II, spoken by Peter Venkman (Bill Murray)
   More importantly, Blows Against the Empire […] more than any other work revealed the split vision towards space exploration among many in the counter-culture: a romantic vision of the freedom offered by space that had been fostered by a lifetime of science fiction consumption, immersion in a technological society, the countercultural yearning for speed and “the road,” and, thanks to LSD and other hallucinogens, a unique preappreciation of space traveling not available to straights, versus the bland, oppressive vision of exploration offered by NASA, itself just one part of a larger destructive system that was devastating Earth and that could only offer further oppression in space, not liberation. 2014, Matthew D. Tribbe, “Turning a Miracle into a Bummer”, in No Requiem for the Space Age, page 150
5. (slang) A cigarette, particularly one containing tobacco instead of marijuana.
   A straight = a straighter = a straight cut, une cigarette en tabac de Virginie.] [1923, J[oseph] Manchon, Le slang : lexique de l'anglais familier et vulgaire : précédé d'une étude sur la pronunciation et la grammaire populaires, p. 296
6. A chiropractor who relies solely on spinal adjustment, with no other treatments.

verb

1. (transitive) To straighten.
   One man draws out the wire , another straights it , a third cuts it , a fourth points it , a fifth grinds it at the top for receiving the head 1776, Adam Smith, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations