straight and narrow, the

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The honest and upright way of living, as in He led a wild life when he was young, but he's been on the straight and narrow for some years. This expression is widely though to come from confusion of straight, “not crooked,” with strait, “narrow,” owing to a misinterpretation of a passage from the New Testament: “Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life” (Matthew 7:14). The current phrase dates only from the first half of the 1800s.

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

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Words nearby straight and narrow, the

the stake, Starry Night, The, “The Stars and Stripes Forever”, Star-Spangled Banner, The, story of my life, the, straight and narrow, the, Stranger, The, Sun Also Rises, The, Suppliants, The, Swan Lake, The, The Swiss Family Robinson

How to use straight and narrow, the in a sentence

As an example of good science-and-society policymaking, the history of fluoride may be more of a cautionary tale.
Anti-Fluoriders Are The OG Anti-Vaxxers|Michael Schulson|July 27, 2016|DAILY BEAST
France 24 is providing live, round-the-clock coverage of both scenes as they progress.
LIVE Coverage of the Paris Terror Attacks||January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In straight relationships with an age gap, words like ‘gold-digger’ and ‘trophy wife’ get thrown around.
Freaking Out About Age Gaps in Gay Relationships Is Homophobic|Samantha Allen|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
As this list shows, punishments typically run to a short-ish jail sentence and/or a moderately hefty fine.
In Defense of Blasphemy|Michael Tomasky|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Except the Braves did not win 14 straight pennants (they did win 14 straight division titles), and Smoltz is a also Republican.
Conservative Curt Says His Politics, Not His Pitching, Kept Him Out of the Hall of Fame|Ben Jacobs|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
She sat straight up in bed, and jerked her hands to her head, and screamed long and terribly.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
This wasn't at all what he meant to say, and it sounded very ridiculous; but somehow the words wouldn't come straight.
Davy and The Goblin|Charles E. Carryl
She had listened—she had listened intently, looking straight out of the window and without moving.
Confidence|Henry James
Sleek finds it far harder work than fortune-making; but he pursues his Will-o'-the-Wisp with untiring energy.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
The streets here are rather wide for an Italian city but would be deemed intolerably narrow in America.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley