straight bat
Britishnoun
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cricket a bat held vertically
-
informal honest or honourable behaviour
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.
Farrell played a straight bat when asked whether he thought those complaints had had an impact.
From Barron's • Nov. 22, 2025
Foakes, also unconvincing in the first innings, was a composed ally, defending with a straight bat and scoring with the occasional sweep.
From BBC • Jan. 27, 2024
Farrell's persona - straight bat, straight face and flat vowels - sticks out in a sporting world of spin and schmooze.
From BBC • Nov. 17, 2022
The Twitterati were protesting again over the scheduling of her Riske match on Court Two but the former cricketer played a straight bat to reporters’ queries, saying: “I’ll play on any court I’m scheduled on.”
From Reuters • Jul. 9, 2019
He placed a straight bat in the path of every ball, and seemed to consider his duty done if he stopped it.
From The Head of Kay's by Wodehouse, P. G. (Pelham Grenville)
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.
