go straight

Idioms  

1. Become a law-abiding person; abandon crime. For example, Once he got out on probation, he swore he would go straight. The use of straight in the sense of “honest” dates from the 1500s and probably alludes to the opposite of crooked, used in the sense of “dishonest” from the 13th century on.

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Example Sentences

“If you adjust your W-4 so your paycheck more closely matches what you actually owe, you increase your monthly cash flow immediately. That extra few hundred dollars can go straight into savings or investing.”

From MarketWatch • Mar. 20, 2026

He told the operator: "I assumed I would be able to go straight out of the door and just do something quick like Jake Davidson."

From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026

If you go straight to the boss you might violate a team norm, and turn everyone against you.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026

That’s a reversal from earlier in the year, when Elon Musk called the moon a “distraction,” preferring to go straight to Mars.

From Barron's • Feb. 9, 2026

“Because you haven’t cleaned up yet,” he said to the orphans, “I suppose you can be excused from attending tonight’s performance. But after cleaning up, you are to go straight to your beds.”

From "The Bad Beginning" by Lemony Snicket