The Collaborative International Dictionary
Straight \Straight\, a. [Compar. Straighter; superl. Straightest.] [OE. strei?t, properly p. p. of strecchen to stretch, AS. streht, p. p. of streccan to stretch, to extend. See Stretch.]
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Right, in a mathematical sense; passing from one point to another by the nearest course; direct; not deviating or crooked; as, a straight line or course; a straight piece of timber.
And the crooked shall be made straight.
--Isa. xl. 4.There are many several sorts of crooked lines, but there is only one which is straight.
--Dryden. (Bot.) Approximately straight; not much curved; as, straight ribs are such as pass from the base of a leaf to the apex, with a small curve.
(Card Playing) Composed of cards which constitute a regular sequence, as the ace, king, queen, jack, and ten-spot; as, a straight hand; a straight flush.
Conforming to justice and rectitude; not deviating from truth or fairness; upright; as, straight dealing.
Unmixed; undiluted; as, to take liquor straight. [Slang]
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Making no exceptions or deviations in one's support of the organization and candidates of a political party; as, a straight Republican; a straight Democrat; also, containing the names of all the regularly nominated candidates of a party and no others; as, a straight ballot. [Political Cant, U.S.]
Straight arch (Arch.), a form of arch in which the intrados is straight, but with its joints drawn radially, as in a common arch.
A straight face, one giving no evidence of merriment or other emotion.
A straight line. ``That which lies evenly between its extreme points.''
--Euclid. ``The shortest line between two points.''
--Chauvenet. ``A line which has the same direction through its whole length.''
--Newcomb.Straight-way valve, a valve which, when opened widely, affords a straight passageway, as for water.