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straight and narrow

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noun
  1. the way of virtuous or proper conduct: After his release from prison, he resolved to follow the straight and narrow.
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Origin of straight and narrow

First recorded in 1945–50
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for straight and narrow

Historical Examples

  • So Tutt was compelled to walk the straight-and-narrow path whether he liked it or not.

    Tutt and Mr. Tutt

    Arthur Train

British Dictionary definitions for straight and narrow

straight and narrow

noun
  1. informal the proper, honest, and moral path of behaviour
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Word Origin

perhaps an alteration of strait and narrow, an allusion to Matthew 7:14: ``strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life''
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012