14 PHRASE If a criminal is going straight , they are no longer involved in crime.
15 PHRASE If something keeps people on the straight and narrow , it helps to keep them living an honest or healthy life. □ All her efforts to keep him on the straight and narrow have been rewarded.
16 a straight face → see face ➊
17 to set the record straight → see record
strai ght a r|row (straight arrows ) N‑COUNT [oft N n] A straight arrow is someone who is very traditional, honest, and moral. [mainly AM ] □ …a well-scrubbed, straight-arrow group of young people.
strai ght awa y also straightaway ADV [ADV with v] If you do something straight away , you do it immediately and without delay. □ I should go and see a doctor straight away.
straight|en /stre I t ə n/ (straightens , straightening , straightened )
1 VERB If you straighten something, you make it tidy or put it in its proper position. □ [V n] She sipped her coffee and straightened a picture on the wall. □ [V n] …tidying, straightening cushions and organising magazines.
2 VERB If you are standing in a relaxed or slightly bent position and then you straighten , you make your back or body straight and upright. □ [V ] The three men straightened and stood waiting. ● PHRASAL VERB Straighten up means the same as straighten . □ [V P ] He straightened up and slipped his hands in his pockets.
3 VERB If you straighten something, or it straightens , it becomes straight. □ [V n] Straighten both legs until they are fully extended. □ [V ] The road straightened and we were on a plateau. ● PHRASAL VERB Straighten out means the same as straighten . □ [V P n] No one would dream of straightening out the knobbly spire at Empingham Church. □ [V P ] The road twisted its way up the mountain then straightened out for the last two hundred yards. [Also V n P ]
▸ straighten out
1 PHRASAL VERB If you straighten out a confused situation, you succeed in getting it organized and tidied up. □ [V P n] He would make an appointment with him to straighten out a couple of things. □ [V n P ] My sister had come in with her calm common sense and straightened them out.
2 → see straighten 3
▸ straighten up → see straighten 2
strai ght-fa ced ADJ [usu ADJ n, ADJ after v] A straight-faced person appears not to be amused in a funny situation. □ …a straight-faced, humourless character. □ 'Whatever gives you that idea?' she replied straight-faced.
straight|forward /stre I tfɔː r wə r d/
1 ADJ [oft ADJ to-inf] If you describe something as straightforward , you approve of it because it is easy to do or understand. [APPROVAL ] □ Disposable nappies are fairly straightforward to put on. □ The question seemed straightforward enough.
2 ADJ If you describe a person or their behaviour as straightforward , you approve of them because they are honest and direct, and do not try to hide their feelings. [APPROVAL ] □ She is very blunt, very straightforward and very honest.
strai ght-la ced → see strait-laced
strain ◆◇◇ /stre I n/ (strains , straining , strained )
1 N‑VAR [oft under N ] If strain is put on an organization or system, it has to do more than it is able to do. □ The prison service is already under considerable strain. □ [+ on ] The vast expansion in secondary education is putting an enormous strain on the system.
2 VERB To strain something means to make it do more than it is able to do. □ [V n] The volume of scheduled flights is straining the air traffic control system.
3 N‑UNCOUNT Strain is a state of worry and tension caused by a difficult situation. □ She was tired and under great strain. □ …the stresses and strains of a busy and demanding career.
4 N‑SING If you say that a situation is a strain , you mean that it makes you worried and tense. □ I sometimes find it a strain to be responsible for the mortgage.
5 N‑UNCOUNT Strain is a force that pushes, pulls, or stretches something in a way that may damage it. □ Place your hands under your buttocks to take some of the strain off your back.
6 N‑VAR [usu n N ] Strain is an injury to a muscle in your body, caused by using the muscle too much or twisting it. □ Avoid muscle strain by warming up with slow jogging.
7 VERB If you strain a muscle, you injure it by using it too much or twisting it. □ [V n] He strained his back during a practice session.
8 VERB If you strain to do something, you make a great effort to do it when it is difficult to do. □ [V to-inf] I had to strain to hear. □ [V n] They strained their eyes, but saw nothing.
9 VERB When you strain food, you separate the liquid part of it from the solid parts. □ [V n] Strain the stock and put it back into the pan.
10 N‑SING You can use strain to refer to a particular quality in someone's character, remarks, or work. □ There was a strain of bitterness in his voice. □ …this cynical strain in the book.
11 N‑COUNT A strain of a germ, plant, or other organism is a particular type of it. □ [+ of ] Every year new strains of influenza develop.
12 → see also eye strain , repetitive strain injury
strained /stre I nd/
1 ADJ If someone's appearance, voice, or behaviour is strained , they seem worried and nervous. □ Gil sensed something wrong from her father's strained voice.