straight bat

British

noun

cricket a bat held vertically
informal honest or honourable behaviour

"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

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.

He peppered the off-side boundary with a high front elbow, sweet timing and a beautifully straight bat.

From BBC

Knowing the value of a straight bat on a bouncy surface, 27% of Root's first hundred runs came in the 'V' down the ground - the highest percentage in any of his 16 centuries away from home.

From BBC

Farrell played a straight bat when asked whether he thought those complaints had had an impact.

From Barron's

Head coach Andy Farrell tried to play a straight bat in the aftermath.

From BBC

The straight bat was still being pushed firmly forward at Wembley when he was asked whether this meant he was saying he wanted the job: "I will definitely not be saying that. I am totally relaxed about the situation. I have got to do a good job."

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023