straight-laced
[streyt-leyst]
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strait-laced
or straight-laced
[streyt-leyst]
- excessively strict in conduct or morality; puritanical; prudish: strait-laced censors.
- tightly laced, as a bodice.
- wearing tightly laced garments.
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Origin of strait-laced
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for straight-laced
Contemporary Examples
Thwarted by straight-laced parents, vivacious Flo eventually eloped to Philly with a doctor and then divorced.
William Parker is a straight-laced cop with dreams of ridding L.A of its crime and endemic corruption.
One of my students started senior year straight-laced and dreaming of studying engineering at Georgia Tech.
Historical Examples
In fact, he was so merry that, by the straight-laced Puritans, he was thought ungodly.
The Witch of SalemJohn R. Musick
Goodness, you can't afford to be as straight-laced as all that, in this town.
Cape of StormsPercival Pollard
But Christopher Wellwyn's heart is too full of humanity to admit of such a straight-laced attitude.
The Social Significance of the Modern DramaEmma Goldman
One that has been discovered very recently is that the straight-faced are the straight-laced.
How to Analyze People on SightElsie Lincoln Benedict and Ralph Paine Benedict
The North American, beneath his cold and straight-laced appearance, conceals a warm and enthusiastic heart.
The Gold-SeekersGustave Aimard
straight-laced
- a variant spelling of strait-laced
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strait-laced
straight-laced
- prudish or puritanical
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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
Word Origin and History for straight-laced
strait-laced
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper