A straight face

A straight face
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}.] 1. 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. [1913 Webster]

And the crooked shall be made straight. --Isa. xl. 4. [1913 Webster]

There are many several sorts of crooked lines, but there is only one which is straight. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]

2. (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. [1913 Webster]

3. (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. [1913 Webster]

4. Conforming to justice and rectitude; not deviating from truth or fairness; upright; as, straight dealing. [1913 Webster]

5. Unmixed; undiluted; as, to take liquor straight. [Slang] [1913 Webster]

6. 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.] [1913 Webster]

{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. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • straight face — If someone keeps a straight face, they remain serious and do not show emotion or amusement …   The small dictionary of idiomes

  • straight face — straight′ face′ n. an impassive facial expression that conceals one s true feelings, esp. a desire to laugh • Etymology: 1890–95 straight′ faced′, adj. straight′ fac′ed•ly, adv …   From formal English to slang

  • straight face — n. a facial expression showing no amusement or other emotion straight faced adj …   English World dictionary

  • straight face — noun a serious facial expression giving no evidence of interest or amusement (Freq. 2) • Hypernyms: ↑facial expression, ↑facial gesture * * * noun : a face giving no evidence of emotion and especially of merriment • straight faced ˈ ̷ ̷| ̷ ̷… …   Useful english dictionary

  • straight face — {n.} A face that is not laughing or smiling. * /Mary told all the funny stories she knew to try to make Joan laugh, but Joan kept a straight face./ * /It is hard to tell when Jim is teasing you. He can tell a fib with a straight face./ * /When… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • straight face — {n.} A face that is not laughing or smiling. * /Mary told all the funny stories she knew to try to make Joan laugh, but Joan kept a straight face./ * /It is hard to tell when Jim is teasing you. He can tell a fib with a straight face./ * /When… …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • straight face — if someone has a straight face, they look serious even though they are saying something funny or are in a funny situation with a straight face: He could never tell a joke with a straight face. keep a straight face: She couldn t trust herself to… …   English dictionary

  • straight\ face — noun A face that is not laughing or smiling. Mary told all the funny stories she knew to try to make Joan laugh, but Joan kept a straight face. It is hard to tell when Jim is teasing you. He can tell a fib with a straight face. When Bob fell into …   Словарь американских идиом

  • straight face — noun Date: 1853 a face giving no evidence of emotion and especially of merriment < lied with a straight face > • straight faced adjective • straight facedly adverb …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • straight face —    If you keep a straight face, you look serious although you really want to laugh.     Our teacher was dressed so strangely that it was hard to keep a straight face! …   English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

  • straight face — /streɪt ˈfeɪs/ (say strayt fays) noun a deliberately serious expression, especially in an attempt to suppress laughter: * You mean a sheep butted you into the river? Mum was having difficulty keeping a straight face. –barney roberts, 1987.… …  

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