: a poker hand containing five cards in sequence but not of the same suit see poker illustration
4
: a person who adheres to conventional attitudes and mores
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strait or straight?
Straight and strait are homophones (“one of two or more words pronounced alike but different in meaning or derivation or spelling”), and many people are in the habit of confusing such creatures, particularly when used in fixed phrases. If you express no emotion you have a straight face; an upright person is a straight shooter; a straight flush is “a poker hand containing five cards of the same suit in sequence.” However, if you find yourself in a difficult situation you are in dire straits. Straitjacket and straitlaced are the more commonly used forms for the restrictive garment and the “strict in manners” adjective, although straightjacket and straightlaced are also occasionally found.
Adjective She has long, straight hair. The flagpole is perfectly straight. The picture isn't quite straight. We sat in the airport for five straight hours. Adverb She walked straight up to him and slapped him in the face. The tunnel goes straight through the mountain. The library is straight ahead. He was so drunk he couldn't walk straight. She sat with her legs straight out. The tree fell straight down. The car went straight off the road. She told him straight to his face that she hated him. Pine trees stood straight along the path. Sit up straight and don't slouch. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The post-Urban Meyer bump is real for the Jaguars, who beat the Colts at home for the eighth straight time, 24-0.Baltimore Sun, 20 Sep. 2022 Kansas State had 39 straight non-conference regular-season wins from 1993-2003.Los Angeles Times, 15 Sep. 2022 The Knights last opened with five straight wins in 1949, according to AHSFHS.org. Al.com Reports, al, 13 Sep. 2022 The Irish had a streak of 42 straight wins against unranked opponents snapped. Tom Coyne, ajc, 10 Sep. 2022 Coming off three straight wins and fighting for playoff positioning, the Portland Timbers host Minnesota United on Saturday.oregonlive, 10 Sep. 2022 Economists and Wall Street traders increasingly expect the central bank to raise its key short-term rate by a hefty three-quarters of a point for a third straight time. Christopher Rugaber, Chicago Tribune, 8 Sep. 2022 Ryle edged Cooper 13-10 to beat its local rivals for the eighth straight time. James Weber, The Enquirer, 3 Sep. 2022 The once-scintillating series featuring three straight Gators wins has lost enough luster that TV execs moved the game to the Friday after Thanksgiving — the first time the two schools won’t play on a Saturday. Edgar Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 3 Sep. 2022
Adverb
Corporal Derek Heymer had driven alone, straight into an active crime scene.CBS News, 17 Sep. 2022 The first generation of COVID-19 vaccines are injected straight into people’s upper arms. Grady Mcgregor, Fortune, 17 Sep. 2022 Two weeks of rigorous rehearsals later, Abril went from singing Maluma’s songs in her bedroom to staring straight into his eyes and harmonizing with him in front of 55,000 cheering Medellín fans. Neena Rouhani, Billboard, 15 Sep. 2022 For the average four-person household with a monthly food budget of $1000, that's like throwing $300 straight into the garbage every month. Casey Barber, CNN, 14 Sep. 2022 But hiring is a major challenge, despite a pay increase and less emphasis on experience, particularly now that education majors can go straight into teaching jobs instead of starting out in after-school programs, as Friedman did. Katie Johnston, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Sep. 2022 Ewers laid on the field for several moments before walking off and going straight into the medical tent. Mark Heim | Mheim@al.com, al, 10 Sep. 2022 The three men walked out a few minutes later, with Geas and DeCologero heading straight into Bulger’s cell. Rich Schapiro, NBC News, 10 Sep. 2022 The movie is fourth-wall-breaking but not quite meta, its strong-willed protagonist sometimes gazing straight into the camera. Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Sep. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English streght, straight, from past participle of strecchen to stretch — more at stretch