straight-laced

See also: straightlaced

English

Alternative forms

• strait-laced
• straitlaced

Etymology

Widely agreed to have originated (centuries ago) in homophonic confusion (in speech) of strait-laced (“tight-laced”), but long since so widely accepted and used, because having such strongly apparent analogy with straight in its senses relating to orthodoxy and conformity (compare squareness), that it can no longer accurately be called erroneous; instead it is an established alternative form with its own reanalyzed surface analysis. Compare straitjacket with *straightjacket; the latter is still usually regarded as an error, but the relationship is analogous.

Adjective

straight-laced (comparative more straight-laced, superlative most straight-laced)

1. Having narrow views on moral matters; prudish.
   • 1687, John Aubrey, Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme, page 20:

     Me thinks St. Augustin was too straight-laced in not liking Organs in Churches.

Synonyms

• tight-laced

Translations

having narrow views on moral matters

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 古板 (zh) (gǔbǎn), 守舊／守旧 (zh) (shǒujiù), 保守 (zh) (bǎoshǒu), 拘謹／拘谨 (zh) (jūjǐn)

• Dutch: bekrompen (nl)
• Finnish: ahdasmielinen (fi), tiukkapipoinen (fi)
• French: prude (fr)
• German: sittenstreng (de), züchtig (de), puritanisch (de)
• Russian: please add this translation if you can
• Spanish: conservador (es)

References

• Oxford University Press article