straight man
Americannoun
noun
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012Etymology
Origin of straight man
First recorded in 1925–30
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They thought I was guilty of the highest heresy in the all-powerful Church of Fourth-Wave Feminism — choosing a straight man over your femme friends.
From Los Angeles Times
Some scenes introduce that character as the straight man.
From Salon
The Marines may make a man of him, but it won’t be a straight man.
From Los Angeles Times
The Cuban American musician, bandleader, actor and producer remains most famous for his role as Lucille Ball’s husband and straight man, Ricky Ricardo, in their iconic 1950s television series, “I Love Lucy.”
From Los Angeles Times
“Yeah, but that doesn’t make sense in this case,” Meyers said, playing the straight man.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
