n. Externally operated valve regulating the flow through a pipe etc.

n. Break in a journey, esp. Overnight.

n. - interruption of work owing to a strike etc.

- (in pl.) Sum deducted from pay, for tax, national insurance, etc.

- condition of being blocked or stopped.

n. Person in charge of a store of goods.

n. Person who hides on a ship or aircraft etc. To travel free.

v. (-ling) 1 a sit or stand across (a thing) with the legs spread. B be situated on both sides of.

- part (one's legs) widely. [from *stride]

—v. (-ling) 1 lack compactness or tidiness.

- be dispersed or sporadic.

- trail behind in a race etc. —n. Straggling or scattered group. straggler n. Straggly adj. (-ier, -iest). [origin uncertain]

eye n. Ability to detect deviation from the straight.

- face n. Intentionally expressionless face. straight-faced adj.

- fight n. Polit. Contest between two candidates only.

- flush n. Flush in numerical sequence.

- man n. Comedian's stooge.

- —adj. - extending uniformly in the same direction; not bent or curved.

- successive, uninterrupted (three straight wins).

- ordered; level; tidy (put things straight).

- honest, candid.

- (of thinking etc.) Logical.

- (of theatre, music, etc.) Serious, classical, not popular or comic.

- a unmodified. B (of a drink) undiluted.

- colloq. A (of a person etc.) Conventional, respectable. B heterosexual.

- direct, undeviating. —n. - straight part, esp. The concluding stretch of a racetrack.

- straight condition.

- sequence of five cards in poker.

- colloq. Conventional person; heterosexual. —adv. - in a straight line; direct.

- in the right direction.

- correctly. go straight (of a criminal) become honest. Straight away immediately. Straight off colloq. Without hesitation. straightish adj. Straightness n. [originally a past part. Of *stretch]

adj. - constrained, artificial.

- (of a relationship) mutually distrustful or tense.

n. Device for straining liquids etc.