Straight vs Forward - What's the difference?
straight | forward |
Not crooked or bent; having a constant direction throughout its length.
*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 .
#Of a path, trajectory, etc. : direct, undeviating.
#*1913 , , The Kentuckians , p.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.
#*2000 , Allan Wood, Babe Ruth and the 1918 Red Sox , p.293:
#*:He had no time to set himself, but his throw was straight and true. Pick slid in, spikes high, and Schang tagged him in the ribs a foot or two from the plate.
#*{{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-29, volume=407, issue=8842, page=55, magazine=(The Economist)
, title=Travels and travails #Perfectly horizontal or vertical; not diagonal or oblique.
#*2004 , Chris Weston, 500 Digital Photography Hints, Tips, and Techniques :
#*:There's nothing more annoying than taking a great picture, only to find that the horizon isn't straight .
#(lb) Stretched out; fully extended.
Strait; narrow.
*Sir (John Mandeville) (c.1350)
*:Egypt is a long country, but it is straight , that is to say, narrow.
(lb) Figurative uses.
#Free from dishonesty; honest, law-abiding.
#*1879 , (Anthony Trollope), John Caldigate :
#*:‘It wasn't the proper thing, squoire. It wasn't straight .’
#Direct in communication; unevasive, straightforward.
#*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.
#In a row, in unbroken sequence.
#*{{quote-news, year=2011, date=September 24, author=David Ornstein, work=BBC Sport
, title= #*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.
#In proper order; as it should be.
#*2007 , Grant Allen, What's Bred in the Bone , p.140:
#*:Oh, music, how he loved it; it seemed to set everything straight all at once in his head.
#*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?"
#Of spirits: undiluted, unmixed; neat.
#*2003 , Ron Jordan, Considerations :
#*:Real cowboys know how to rope, ride a horse and drink whisky straight .
#*2003 , Lowell Edmunds, Martini, Straight Up , p.94:
#*:The Martini is still in belief'', if not in fact, the centerpiece of a rite, and people who would not drink straight''' gin on the rocks will drink ' straight gin on the rocks if it is called a Martini.
#(lb) Describing the bat as held so as not to incline to either side; on, or near a line running between the two wickets.
#*2011 , Alan Gardner & Barney Ronay, (The Guardian) , 15 March:
#*: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.
#(lb) Describing the sets in a match of which the winner did not lose a single set.
#*2011 , Press Association, 10 February:
#*: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.
# Making no exceptions or deviations in one's support of the organization and candidates of a political party.
#:
# Containing the names of all the regularly nominated candidates of a party and no others.
#:
(lb) Colloquial uses.
#(lb) Conventional, socially acceptable.
#*1994 , (Jarvis Cocker), ‘Do You Remember the First Time?’:
#*:You say you've got to go home. Well at least there's someone there that you can talk to. And you never have to face up to the night on your own. Jesus, it must be great to be straight .
#*
#
#*(Wavy Gravy):
#*:‘Sure, I could have done it differentput my clown in a closet and dressed up in straight clothing. I could have compromised my essence, and swallowed my soul.’
#*1989 , (Gus Van Sant), (Drugstore Cowboy) :
#*:‘For all the boredom the straight life brings, it's not too bad.’
#*1998 , Eileen Fitzpatrick & Dominic Pride, , 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.’
#(lb) Not using alcohol, drugs, etc.
#*2001 , Ruella Frank, Body of Evidence , p.28:
#*:‘Alex's dad used a lot of drugs. He's been straight for years now, but it took a long time for him to be able to deal with his feelings.’
#(lb) Heterosexual.
#*
#*
#*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.
#*2011 , Jodi Picoult, Sing You Home , p.273:
#*:Angela smiles. ‘I'm straight , Zoe, and I'm happily married.’
#*
#*
Of a direction relative to the subject, precisely; as if following a direct line.
Directly; without pause, delay or detour.
* Addison
Continuously; without interruption or pause.
Something that is not crooked or bent.
# A part of a racecourse, running track or other road, etc. , that is not curved.
#*
#*
Colloquial uses.
# A heterosexual.
# (slang) A normal person; someone in mainstream society.
#*
#* ## (poker) Five cards in sequence.
# (slang) A cigarette, particularly one containing tobacco instead of marijuana. Also .
#* [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:
Toward the front or at the front.
Without customary restraint or modesty.
(finance) Expected in the future.
Ready; prompt; strongly inclined; in a bad sense, overready or hasty.
* Bible, Gal. ii. 10
* Shakespeare
Advanced beyond the usual degree; advanced for the season.
* Shakespeare
Towards the front or from the front.
*
In the usual direction of travel.
Into the future.
*
, title=(The Celebrity), chapter=8
, passage=The humor of my proposition appealed more strongly to Miss Trevor than I had looked for, and from that time forward she became her old self again; for, even after she had conquered her love for the Celebrity, the mortification of having been jilted by him remained.}}
To advance, promote.
* 1941 , (W Somerset Maugham), Up at the Villa , Vintage 2004, p. 26:
To send (a letter, email etc.) to a third party.
(rugby) one of the eight players (comprising two props, one hooker, two locks, two flankers and one number eight, collectively known as the pack) whose primary task is to gain and maintain possession of the ball (compare back).
(soccer) A player on a team in football (soccer) in the row nearest to the opposing team's goal, who are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals.
(ice hockey) An umbrella term for a centre or winger in ice hockey.
(basketball) The small forward or power forward position; two frontcourt positions that are taller than guards but shorter than centers.
(nautical) The front part of a vessel.
(Internet) An e-mail message that is forwarded to another recipient or recipients; an electronic chain letter.
* 2004 , Tamara Stevens, What Is Snail Mail?: The Lost Art of Letterwriting (page 27)
* 2009 , Joli Ballew, Windows 7 for the Over 50s in Simple Steps
In lang=en terms the difference between straight and forward
is that straight is a cigarette, particularly one containing tobacco instead of marijuana. Also straighter while forward is one of the eight players (comprising two props, one hooker, two locks, two flankers and one number eight, collectively known as the pack) whose primary task is to gain and maintain possession of the ball (compare back).In transitive terms the difference between straight and forward
is that straight is to straighten while forward is to send (a letter, email etc.) to a third party.straight
English
Alternative forms
* streight (obsolete)Adjective
(er)citation
Arsenal 3-0 Bolton, passage=It moves them from 17th to 12th on seven points, while Bolton are now bottom of the table with five straight defeats.}}
Antonyms
* bent * crooked * curvedUsage notes
* Straight is sometimes humorously used as meaning low quality by homosexuals and bisexuals, rather than gay.Derived terms
* damn straight * go straight * scare straight * straight A * straight-acting * straight and narrow * straight arm / straight-arm * straight as an arrow * straightaway * straight bat * straight dinkum * straightedge / straight edge * straighten * straight face * straight-faced * straight flush * straightforward / straight-forward * straight from the horse's mouth * straight from the shoulder * straight hit * straightjacket * straight line * straightly * straight man * straightness * * straight out of the chute * straight shooter * straight ticket * straight up * straightwayAdverb
(en adverb)- The door will be straight ahead of you.
- Go straight back.
- 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.
- He claims he can hold his breath for three minutes straight .
Noun
(en noun)- My friends call straights "heteros".
- A straight = a straighter = a straight cut, une cigarette en tabac de Virginie.]
Synonyms
* (heterosexual) hetero, breeder * (normal person) seeforward
English
Alternative forms
* (l)Etymology 1
From (etyl), from (etyl) . More at (l), (l).Etymology 2
From (etyl) foreward, from (etyl) .Adjective
(en adjective)- The fire was confined to the forward portion of the store.
- the forward''' gun in a ship, or the '''forward ship in a fleet
- I thought his suggestion that we move in together was rather forward .
- 1999:' ''"Would you think it '''forward of me to kiss you?" asked Tristran.'' — Neil Gaiman, ''Stardust , pg. 44 (2001 Perennial paperback edition).
- The stock price is currently 12 times forward earnings.
- Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.
- Nor do we find him forward to be sounded.
- The grass is forward''', or '''forward''' for the season. We have a '''forward spring.
- The most forward bud / Is eaten by the canker ere it blow.
Usage notes
* The superlative forwardmost can be used for the "toward or at the front" sense. There does not appear to be a "forwardmore".Synonyms
* (at the front) anterior, front * (without customary restraint) bold, fresh, impertinent * (expected in the future) forecast, predictedAntonyms
* (at the front) back, posterior, rear * (without customary restraint) restrained * (expected in the future) pastAdverb
(further)- A great bargain also had been the excellent Axminster carpet which covered the floor; as, again, the arm-chair in which Bunting now sat forward , staring into the dull, small fire. In fact, that arm-chair had been an extravagance of Mrs. Bunting. She had wanted her husband to be comfortable after the day's work was done, and she had paid thirty-seven shillings for the chair.
Synonyms
* (towards the front) forwards * (in the usual direction of travel) ahead, forth, on, onward, onwards * (into the future) forth, forwards, hereon, on, onward, onwardsAntonyms
* (towards the front) back, backward, backwards, rearwards * (in the usual direction of travel) back, backward, backwards, rearwards, in reverse * (in the future) backward, backwards, into the pastDerived terms
* (adverb) * look forward * look forward toVerb
(en verb)- Mary had a suspicion that this plan had been arranged beforehand, for she knew how the lewd old woman loved to forward love affairs […].
- I'll be glad to forward your mail to you while you're gone.
Synonyms
* pass onDerived terms
* fast forward * forwarding address * freight forwarderNoun
(en noun)- When you receive your new pen-pal's email address, do not automatically put it in your address book and use the email Addy to send 'forwards' to. Not every pen pal likes 'forwards', especially jokes and meaningless emails.
- This method attaches the files to a new email, which is fine if you want to create a new email. The only problem with this is that it doesn't work if you'd rather send forwards or replies.