different between straight vs clean

English

Alternative forms

• streight (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English streight, streght, strei?t, the past participle of strecchen (“to stretch”), from Old English stre??an (past participle ?estreaht, ?estreht), from Proto-West Germanic *strakkjan (“to stretch”). Doublet of straught.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /st?e?t/
• Rhymes: -e?t
• Homophone: strait

Adjective

straight (comparative straighter, superlative straightest)

1. Not crooked or bent; having a constant direction throughout its length. [from 14^thc.]
   • 1811, Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility:

     I do not like crooked, twisted, blasted trees. I admire them much more if they are tall, straight and flourishing.

   • “Heavens!” exclaimed Nina, “the blue-stocking and the fogy!—and yours are pale blue, Eileen!—you’re about as self-conscious as Drina—slumping there with your hair tumbling à la Mérode! Oh, it's very picturesque, of course, but a straight spine and good grooming is better. […]”

   • 2011, Adharanand Finn, The Guardian, 22 March:

     The other people, I presume, are supposed to be standing to attention, but they're all smiling at me. The lines are not even straight.

2. (of a path, trajectory, etc.) Direct, undeviating. [from 15^thc.]
   • 1913, John Fox, Jr., The Kentuckians, page 185:

     Now, as the world knows, the straightest way to the heart of the honest voter is through the women of the land, and the straightest way to the heart of the women is through the children of the land; and one method of winning both, with rural politicians, is to kiss the babies wide and far.
3. Perfectly horizontal or vertical; not diagonal or oblique. [from 17^thc.]
   • 1925, United States House Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee No. 1, Charges Against William E. Baker, U.S. District Judge:

     Mr. Coniff: He did not have his hat on straight; that is the one thing, is it?
4. (cricket) Describing the bat as held so as not to incline to either side; on, or near a line running between the two wickets. [from 19^thc.]
   • 2011 March 15, Alan Gardner & Barney Ronay, The Guardian:

     Steyn continues and it's all a bit more orderly down his end as O'Brien defends the first three balls with a straight bat and a respectful dip of the head.

5. Direct in communication; unevasive, straightforward. [from 19^thc.]
   • 2003, Rosie Cowan, The Guardian, 24 April:

     Tony Blair issued a direct challenge to the IRA yesterday when he demanded they give straight answers to three simple questions […].
6. Free from dishonesty; honest, law-abiding. [from 16th c.]
   • 1879, Anthony Trollope, John Caldigate:

     ‘It wasn't the proper thing, squoire. It wasn't straight.’

   • 2010 August 4, The Guardian, Out of prison and trying to go straight [2]:

     How easy is it to go straight after a life spent in and out of prison?

7. Serious rather than comedic.
   • 1988, Ed Gould, Entertaining Canadians: Canada's international stars, 1900-1988, Cappis Pr Pub Ltd (?ISBN):

     Allan Blye, a CBC-TV mainstay in the early Sixties, worked as a singer, writer and straight and comedic actor.

   • 2004, Tammy Ravas, Peter Schickele: A Bio-bibliography, Greenwood Publishing Group (?ISBN):

     All of Peter Schickele's music, both straight and comedic are integrated side by side in this chapter.

   • 2005, Bob McCabe, The Rough Guide to Comedy Movies, Rough Guides Limited:

     More success followed, both straight and comedic, with hits such as Dead Poets' Society (1989), in which Williams scored another Oscar nomination for skilfully handling a classic "rogue teacher" role that hovers just this side of sentimentality, […]

8. In proper order; as it should be. [from 19^thc.]
   • 2010, Paul Gallagher, The Observer, 15 August:

     "If you wonder why folks can't take the news seriously, here's Exhibit A," said one blogger. "Lord Jesus, how can the reporter file this story with a straight face?"

9. In a row, in unbroken sequence; consecutive. [from 19^thc.]
   • 2008, "Bad vibrations", The Economist, 30 October:

     As of October 29th, three-month dollar Libor (the rate at which banks borrow from each other) had fallen for 13 straight days and was nearly one-and-a-half percentage points below its October 10th level.

10. (tennis) Describing the sets in a match of which the winner did not lose a single set. [from 19^thc.]
    • 2011 February 10, Press Association:

      Murray started well against Marcos Baghdatis before slumping to defeat in straight sets and the British No1 admitted he may not have been mentally prepared for the rigours of the ATP Tour after a gruelling start to 2011.

11. (US, politics) Making no exceptions or deviations in one's support of the organization and candidates of a political party.

12. (US, politics) Containing the names of all the regularly nominated candidates of a party and no others.

13. (colloquial) Conventional, mainstream, socially acceptable. [from 20^thc.]
    • 1998, Eileen Fitzpatrick & Dominic Pride, Billboard, 17 October 1998:

      ‘Her last album was a bit too straight,’ he says, ‘but this one puts her in a more contemporary framework and softens her music.’
14. (colloquial) Heterosexual, attracted to people of the opposite sex.
    • 2007, Layla Kumari, The Guardian, 17 September:

      Some of my friends – gay and straight – seem unable to understand the close but platonic nature of my and Gian's relationship, but have been supportive.
15. (colloquial, of a romantic or sexual relation) Occurring between people of opposite sex.

    straight marriage, sex, relationships

16. (colloquial) Not using alcohol, drugs, etc. [from 20^thc.]

    Synonym: straightedge

    • 1989, Gus Van Sant, Drugstore Cowboy:

      For all the boredom the straight life brings, it's not too bad.
17. (fashion) Not plus size; thin.

18. (rare, now chiefly religion) Strait; narrow.
19. (obsolete) Stretched out; fully extended. [15^th-16^thc.]
20. (slang) Thorough; utter; unqualified.
    • 2012, Pimpin' Ken, PIMPOLOGY: The 48 Laws of the Game, page 11:

      A real pimp is a gentleman, but these are pimps in gorilla suits. They hang around pimps, they have hoes on the track working for them, they may even look like pimps, but they are straight simps.

21. Of spirits: undiluted, unmixed; neat. [from 19^thc.]
22. (sciences, mathematics) Concerning the property allowing the parallel-transport of vectors along a course that keeps tangent vectors remain tangent vectors throughout that course (a course which is straight, a straight curve, is a geodesic).

Antonyms

• bent
• crooked
• curved

Derived terms

Descendants

• ? Japanese: ?????

Translations

Adverb

straight (comparative more straight, superlative most straight)

1. Of a direction relative to the subject, precisely; as if following a direct line.

   The door will be straight ahead of you.

   Go straight back.

2. Directly; without pause, delay or detour.

   On arriving at work, he went straight to his office.

   • I know thy generous temper well; / Fling but the appearance of dishonour on it, / It straight takes fire, and mounts into a blaze.

3. Continuously; without interruption or pause.

   He claims he can hold his breath for three minutes straight.

Translations

Noun

straight (plural straights)

1. Something that is not crooked or bent such as a part of a road or track.
2. (poker) Five cards in sequence.
3. (colloquial) A heterosexual.

   Synonyms: hetero, breeder

4. (slang) A normal person; someone in mainstream society.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:mainstreamer
5. (slang) A cigarette, particularly one containing tobacco instead of marijuana. [from 20th c.]

   Synonym: straighter

   • [1923, J[oseph] Manchon, Le slang : lexique de l'anglais familier et vulgaire : précédé d'une étude sur la pronunciation et la grammaire populaires, p. 296:

     A straight = a straighter = a straight cut, une cigarette en tabac de Virginie.]

Descendants

• ? Japanese: ????? (sutor?to)
• ? Portuguese: straight

Translations

Verb

straight (third-person singular simple present straights, present participle straighting, simple past and past participle straighted)

1. (transitive) To straighten.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of A. Smith to this entry?)

See also

Portuguese

Etymology

From English straight.

Noun

straight m (plural straights)

1. (poker) straight (five cards in sequence)

English

Etymology

From Middle English clene, clane, from Old English cl?ne (“clean, pure”), from Proto-Germanic *klainiz (“shining, fine, splendid, tender”), from Proto-Indo-European *gl?y- (“gleaming”), from Proto-Indo-European *gel- (“to gleam”). Cognate with Scots clean (“absolute, pure, clear, empty”) and clene, clane (“clean”), North Frisian klien (“small”), Dutch klein (“small”), Low German kleen (“small”), German klein (“small”), Swedish klen (“weak, feeble, delicate”), Icelandic klénn (“poor, feeble, petty, snug, puny, cheesy, lame”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /kli?n/, [k?l?i?n]
• (General American) enPR: kl?n, IPA^(key): /klin/, [k?l??n]
• ((Ireland), dated), enPR: kl?n, IPA^(key): /kle?n/, [k?l?e?n]
• Rhymes: -i?n

Adjective

clean (comparative cleaner, superlative cleanest)

1. (heading, physical) Free of dirt or impurities or protruberances.
   1. Not dirty.

      • Then his sallow face brightened, for the hall had been carefully furnished, and was very clean. ¶ There was a neat hat-and-umbrella stand, and the stranger's weary feet fell soft on a good, serviceable dark-red drugget, which matched in colour the flock-paper on the walls.

   2. In an unmarked condition.

   3. (aerodynamics) Allowing an uninterrupted flow over surfaces, without protrusions such as racks or landing gear.
   4. Empty.

   5. (of metal) Having relatively few impurities.

2. (heading, behavioural) Free of immorality or criminality.
   1. Pure, especially morally or religiously.
      • ?, Alfred Tennyson, St. Simeon Stylites

        That I am whole, and clean, and meet for Heaven.

      • 1914, New Zealand Parliamentary Debates (volume 168, page 195)

        I do not think there is any member in this House who will not agree that that is the clean thing to do. Any member sitting on the Government benches will admit in private that that is the proper course for members who break faith.

   2. Not having used drugs or alcohol.

   3. (of criminal, driving, etc. records) Without restrictions or penalties, or someone having such a record.

   4. (informal) Not in possession of weapons or contraband such as drugs.

   5. (informal) Devoid of profanity.
3. smooth, exact, and performed well

4. (obsolete) Total; utter. (still in "clean sweep")
   • a. 1655, James Howell, "To the Right Honourable the Earl of Clare" in Epistolæ Ho-Elianæ

     Moreover, I find there are some Words now in French which are turned to a Countersense […] Cocu is taken for one whose Wife is light, and hath made him a passive Cuckold; whereas clean contrary, Cocu, which is the Cuckow, doth use to lay her Eggs in another Bird's Nest.

5. (informal) Cool or neat.

6. (health) Being free of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

7. That does not damage the environment.

8. Free from that which is useless or injurious; without defects.

9. Free from restraint or neglect; complete; entire.

   • When ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not make clean riddance of corners of thy field.

10. Well-proportioned; shapely.

11. (climbing, of a route) Ascended without falling.

Synonyms

• (not dirty): Thesaurus:clean

Antonyms

• dirty
• unclean

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

clean (plural cleans)

1. Removal of dirt.

2. (weightlifting) The first part of the event clean and jerk in which the weight is brought from the ground to the shoulders.

Derived terms

• power clean

Translations

Verb

clean (third-person singular simple present cleans, present participle cleaning, simple past and past participle cleaned)

1. (transitive) To remove dirt from a place or object.

2. (transitive) To tidy up, make a place neat.

3. (transitive, climbing) To remove equipment from a climbing route after it was previously lead climbed.
4. (intransitive) To make things clean in general.

5. (transitive, computing) To remove unnecessary files, etc. from (a directory, etc.).
6. (intransitive, curling) To brush the ice lightly in front of a moving rock to remove any debris and ensure a correct line; less vigorous than a sweep.
7. (manga fandom slang) To purge a raw of any blemishes caused by the scanning process such as brown tinting and poor color contrast.
8. To remove guts and/or scales of a butchered animal.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:make clean

Derived terms

Translations

Adverb

clean (comparative cleaner, superlative cleanest)

1. Fully and completely.

Translations

Anagrams

• Calne, Lance, Lenca, ancle, clane, lance

Danish

Etymology

Borrowed from English clean.

Adjective

clean (neuter clean, plural and definite singular attributive clean)

1. drugfree, not having used recreational drugs

German

Etymology

From English clean. Doublet of klein.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [kli?n]

Adjective

clean (comparative cleaner, superlative am cleansten)

1. (colloquial) clean, drugfree

Declension

Further reading

• “clean” in Duden online

Manx

Etymology

From Old Irish clíabán.

Noun

clean m (genitive singular clean, plural cleanyn)

1. cradle (oscillating bed for a baby)

2. cot
3. cage (of birds)
4. pannier

Mutation

Romanian

Etymology

From Bulgarian ????? (kljan), from Proto-Slavic *klen?.

Noun

clean m (plural cleni)

1. chub (Squalius cephalus)

Declension