straitlaced

straitlaced
   is misspelled woefully often, as here: "Dr. Bel-sky . . . describes himself as quite straight-laced and dutiful as a boy" (New York Times). Strait means confined and restricted, as in straitened circumstances or straitjacket (also frequently misspelled). Apart from the pronunciation, it has nothing in common with straight.

Dictionary of troublesome word. . 2013.

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  • straitlaced — index restrictive, rigid, strict, unbending Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • straitlaced — *prim, priggish, prissy, prudish, puritanical, stuffy Analogous words: narrow, narrow minded, hidebound, intolerant (see ILLIBERAL): *rigid, rigorous, strict Antonyms: libertine …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • straitlaced — strait|laced [ˌstreıtˈleıst] adj having strict, old fashioned ideas about moral behaviour ▪ straitlaced Victorian society …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • straitlaced — adjective having strict, old fashioned ideas about moral behaviour: So then Sally and her straitlaced friend showed up and we all had to shut up …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • straitlaced — adjective our straitlaced relatives were horrified by Stacey s punk hairdo Syn: prim (and proper), prudish, puritanical, prissy, conservative, old fashioned, stuffy, staid, narrow minded; informal starchy, square, fuddy duddy Ant: broad minded …   Thesaurus of popular words

  • straitlaced — adjective exaggeratedly proper (Freq. 1) my straitlaced Aunt Anna doesn t approve of my miniskirts • Syn: ↑priggish, ↑prim, ↑prissy, ↑prudish, ↑puritanical, ↑square toed, ↑ …   Useful english dictionary

  • straitlaced — or straightlaced adjective Date: 1554 1. excessively strict in manners, morals, or opinion 2. wearing or having a bodice or stays tightly laced • straitlacedly adverb • straitlacedness noun …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • straitlaced — Synonyms and related words: Quakerish, Sabbatarian, Victorian, authoritarian, bigot, bigoted, borne, censorious, closed, constricted, cramped, creedbound, deaf, deaf to reason, demure, dogmatic, dour, evangelical, fanatical, firm, fundamentalist …   Moby Thesaurus

  • straitlaced — I (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) adj. severe, stern, dour, stiff; proper, formal, self righteous; prim, prudish, fastidious; strict, puritanical. Informal, bluenosed. See severity. Ant., relaxed, liberal. II (Roget s 3 Superthesaurus) a …   English dictionary for students

  • straitlaced — strait|laced [ streıt,leıst ] adjective morally very strict and old fashioned …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

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