Straight vs Variable - What's the difference?

straight | variable |

As nouns the difference between straight and variable

is that straight is something that is not crooked or bent while variable is variable.

As an adjective straight

is not crooked or bent; having a constant direction throughout its length.

As an adverb straight

is of a direction relative to the subject, precisely; as if following a direct line.

As a verb straight

is to straighten.

straight

English

Alternative forms

* streight (obsolete)

Adjective

(er)

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 citation

#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= 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.}}

#*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.’

Antonyms

* bent * crooked * curved

Usage 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 * straightway

Adverb

(en adverb)

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.

Directly; without pause, delay or detour.

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

* Addison

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

Continuously; without interruption or pause.

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

Noun

(en noun)

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.

My friends call straights "heteros".

# (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:

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

Synonyms

* (heterosexual) hetero, breeder * (normal person) see

Verb

(en verb)

To straighten.

English terms with homophones ----

variable

English

(wikipedia variable)

Adjective

(en adjective)

Able to vary.

variable''' winds or seasons; a '''variable quantity

Likely to vary.

* Shakespeare

Lest that thy love prove likewise variable .

Marked by diversity or difference.

(mathematics) Having no fixed quantitative value.

(biology) Tending to deviate from a normal or recognized type.

Synonyms

* (able to vary) alterable, flexible, changeable, mutable * (likely to vary) fickle, fluctuating, inconstant, shifting, unstable, unsteady * (marked by diversity or difference) varying * aberrant

Antonyms

* (able to vary) constant, invariable, immutable, unalterable, unchangeable * (likely to vary) constant, invariable, immutable, unchangeable * (marked by diversity or difference) unchanging * constant, invariable

Derived terms

* variability * variableness

Noun

(en noun)

Something that is .

Something whose value may be dictated or discovered.

* {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=May-June, author= Katie L. Burke

, title= In the News , volume=101, issue=3, page=193, magazine=(American Scientist) , passage=Bats host many high-profile viruses that can infect humans, including severe acute respiratory syndrome and Ebola. A recent study explored the ecological variables that may contribute to bats’ propensity to harbor such zoonotic diseases by comparing them with another order of common reservoir hosts: rodents.}}

(mathematics) A quantity that may assume any one of a set of values.

(mathematics) A symbol representing a variable.

(programming) A named memory location in which a program can store intermediate results and from which it can read them.

(astronomy) A variable star.

(nautical) A shifting wind, or one that varies in force.

(nautical, in the plural) Those parts of the sea where a steady wind is not expected, especially the parts between the trade-wind belts.

Synonyms

* (something that is variable) changeable * (something whose value may be dictated or discovered) parameter * variable quantity

Antonyms

* (something that is variable) constant, invariable

Hyponyms

* See also

Derived terms

* bound variable * categorical variable * continuous variable * dependent variable * discrete variable * flow variable * free variable * global variable * independent variable * instance variable * interval variable * local variable * member variable * metasyntactic variable * nominal variable * ordinal variable * ratio variable * stock variable * variable star * variably * vary

External links

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