straight man

noun

1. an entertainer who plays the part of a foil for a comic partner.

straight man

noun

1. a subsidiary actor who acts as stooge to a comedian

Word History and Origins

Origin of straight man¹

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Besides, dating straight men was like the equivalent of “comfort food,” though it never worked and was really not much fun.

From Washington Blade

In his near-decade on SNL, Bennett became an integral member of the ensemble, a glue guy tasked with playing straight men and raging idiots alike.

From Time

In one study about smell and romance, straight women preferred the body odor of straight men whose immune systems were different enough that any offspring would have healthy immune systems.

From Time

With the help of Sonny’s ex-partner, Marty MacChicken, a gun-loving agitator with keen intuition who plays the straight man to the sad-sack and dryly comedic Sonny, the Chicken Police delve into Clawville’s demimonde.

From Washington Post

That looks an awful lot like straight man defense, and in many ways it is.

From Washington Post

In Hollywood, one of the quickest ways to an award nomination is to be a straight man playing gay.

From The Daily Beast

In the press they were “furious lesbians” who targeted Buckle “because he was a straight man.”

From The Daily Beast

Jackman, given all the rumors around his own sexuality, elected to play the most gay-adjacent straight man on TV.

From The Daily Beast

With Reiner playing the straight man, Caesar plays a wise-cracking and loopy archaeology professor.

From The Daily Beast

The trait was especially essential for Nathan, a straight-man character Garcia patterned after himself.

From The Daily Beast

If you say flat you didnt get the goods well let it go, because we know youre a straight man, and think youre right.

From Project Gutenberg

I'll tell M'Grath, the publican at Solong, too: he's a straight man—he'll keep his ears open and warn chaps.

From Project Gutenberg

That, said Harding gravely, is a straight man, and he will do something by and by when he has an opportunity.

From Project Gutenberg

Well, I want a straight man, with good nerves and a cool head, to run a sugar estate for me.

From Project Gutenberg

Ned shot the answer back like a straight man who had been rehearsing his lines for weeks.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• sidekick