Word: straight Part of Speech: adj 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”). Cognate with Scots straicht (“straight”), Dutch gestrekt (“stretched”), German gestreckt (“stretched”), Danish strakt (“stretched”), Faroese and Norn strekti (“stretched”), Icelandic strekkti (“stretched”), Norwegian strekte (“stretched”), Swedish sträckte (“stretched”). Doublet of straught. Equivalent to stretch + -ed. In some senses, conflated with strait (“narrow, constricted”), which is from Latin strictus via Old French estreit. Pronunciation: /stɹeɪt/, /stɹaɪt/ 1. Not crooked, curly, or bent; having a constant direction throughout its length. Example: I do not like crooked, twisted, blasted trees. I admire them much more if they are tall, straight and flourishing. Example: “Heavens!” exclaimed Nina, “the blue-stocking and the fogy!—and yours are pale blue, Eileen!—you’re about as self-conscious as Drina—slumping there with your hair tumbling à la Mérode! Oh, it's very picturesque, of course, but a straight spine and good grooming is better.[…]” 2. Direct, undeviating. Labels: usually Example: 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. Example: 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. 3. Perfectly horizontal or vertical; not diagonal or oblique. Example: Mr. Coniff: He did not have his hat on straight; that is the one thing, is it? Example: There's nothing more annoying than taking a great picture, only to find that the horizon isn't straight. 4. Describing the bat as held so as not to incline to either side; on, or near a line running between the two wickets. Example: 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. 5. Having all cylinders in a single straight line; in-line. 6. Direct in communication; unevasive, straightforward. Example: Tony Blair issued a direct challenge to the IRA yesterday when he demanded they give straight answers to three simple questions[…]. Example: What's more, he actually tries to answer a straight question with a straight answer. 7. Free from dishonesty; honest, law-abiding. Example: ‘It wasn't the proper thing, squoire. It wasn't straight.’ Example: How easy is it to go straight after a life spent in and out of prison? 8. Serious rather than comedic. Example: Allan Blye, a CBC-TV mainstay in the early Sixties, worked as a singer, writer and straight and comedic actor. Example: All of Peter Schickele's music, both straight and comedic are integrated side by side in this chapter. 9. In proper order; as it should be. Example: Oh, music, how he loved it; it seemed to set everything straight all at once in his head. Example: "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?" 10. In a row, in unbroken sequence; consecutive. Example: After four straight wins, Mudchester United are top of the league. Example: It moves them from 17th to 12th on seven points, while Bolton are now bottom of the table with five straight defeats. 11. Describing the sets in a match of which the winner did not lose a single set. Example: 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. 12. Making no exceptions or deviations in one's support of the organization and candidates of a political party. Labels: US Example: a straight Republican Example: a straight Democrat 13. Containing the names of all the regularly nominated candidates of a single party and no others. Labels: US Example: a straight ballot 14. Conventional; mainstream; socially acceptable. Labels: colloquial Example: 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.” Example: I've learned that there are two types of gays—straight gays and kinky gays. 15. Heterosexual. Labels: colloquial Example: Reuben, David R. (1969), chapter 8, in Everything you always wanted to know about sex but were too afraid to ask, New York: David McKay Company, Inc., published 1970, →LCCN, Homosexuals have their own language?, page 146: “STRAIGHT: a heterosexual” Example: Ain't nobody straight in L.A. / It seems that everybody is gay 16. Occurring between people of the opposite sex (sometimes, but not always, specifically between heterosexual people). Labels: colloquial Example: straight marriage, sex, relationships Example: However, a "man/woman relationship" with a bisexual person in it, is not a "straight" relationship[…] 17. Related to conventional sexual intercourse. Labels: slang Example: “That coffee-an’ mac you got,” a French girl would crack to a straight one, and then it was on—hair came out by the handful, some bleached and some unbleached. 18. Not using alcohol, drugs, etc. Labels: colloquial Example: For all the boredom the straight life brings, it's not too bad. Example: ‘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.’ 19. Not plus size; thin. Example: The shirts only come in straight sizes, not in plus sizes. Example: shopping at a straight-sized store 20. Strait; narrow. Labels: rare Example: Egypt is a long country, but it is straight, that is to say, narrow. Example: 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. 21. Stretched out; fully extended. Labels: obsolete 22. Thorough; utter; unqualified. Labels: slang Example: 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. 23. Of spirits: undiluted, unmixed; neat. Example: Real cowboys know how to rope, ride a horse and drink whisky straight. Example: 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. 24. Sent at a full rate for immediate delivery; being a fast telegram. Labels: historical Example: “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.” 25. 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. OK, all right, fine; in a good state or situation. Labels: informal Example: "Is something on your mind?" "Nah, I'm straight". Example: Just making sure you're straight 27. On good terms. Labels: informal, reciprocal Example: We had a bit of a disagreement, but we're straight now.