"straight man" meaning in English

See straight man in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Audio: En-au-straight man.ogg [Australia] Forms: straight men [plural]
Head templates: {{en-noun|straight men}} straight man (plural straight men)
  1. (idiomatic) A member (of any gender) of a team of comic performers who plays a supporting role by helping to set up jokes and punch lines through engaging in dialog with another comedian playing a more eccentric or otherwise more interesting character; a foil who plays such a role in theatrical comedy. Tags: idiomatic Categories (topical): Comedy, Narratology, People, Stock characters Synonyms: setup man, stooge, second banana Translations (supporting comic): nahrávač [masculine] (Czech), tavallinen mies (Finnish), clown blanc [masculine] (French), Stichwortgeber [masculine] (German), Stichwortgeberin [feminine] (German), hétköznapi embert/figurát játszó/alakító komikus (Hungarian), spalla [feminine] (Italian), ツッコミ (tsukkomi) (Japanese), escada (Portuguese), komedyen yardakçısı (Turkish), şamaroğlanı (Turkish)
    Sense id: en-straight_man-en-noun-aW6IQKZi Disambiguation of Comedy: 73 27 Disambiguation of Narratology: 52 48 Disambiguation of People: 64 36 Disambiguation of Stock characters: 46 54 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 45 55 Disambiguation of 'supporting comic': 86 14
  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see straight, man; for example, a heterosexual man. Categories (topical): Narratology, Stock characters Related terms: deadpan, feed [noun], funnyman, second banana, top banana
    Sense id: en-straight_man-en-noun-9cElvtkf Disambiguation of Narratology: 52 48 Disambiguation of Stock characters: 46 54 Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with topic categories using raw markup, English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 45 55 Disambiguation of English entries with topic categories using raw markup: 44 56 Disambiguation of English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys: 43 57

Inflected forms

Download JSON data for straight man meaning in English (6.8kB)

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      "expansion": "straight man (plural straight men)",
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "45 55",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
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          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
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          "_dis": "73 27",
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          "orig": "en:Comedy",
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            "Theater",
            "Art",
            "Entertainment",
            "Culture",
            "Society",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
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          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "52 48",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Narratology",
          "orig": "en:Narratology",
          "parents": [
            "Drama",
            "Literature",
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          "text": "For many years Bud Abbott served brilliantly as Lou Costello's deadpan straight man.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2010, Caroline Graham, A Ghost in the Machine, Hachette UK",
          "text": "Recently he had successfully concluded a case featuring a poet who wore only latex, lived on liquorice allsorts and worshipped a horse she believed to be the reincarnation of Radclyffe Hall. And she was the straight man.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1982 April, Pam Hait, “Sandra Day O’Connor: Warm, Witty and Wise”, in The Ladies' Home Journal, volume 99, page 46",
          "text": "She was the straight man, he was the comedian, and their audience was “standing room only” when they stepped up to the microphone.",
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        }
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        "A member (of any gender) of a team of comic performers who plays a supporting role by helping to set up jokes and punch lines through engaging in dialog with another comedian playing a more eccentric or otherwise more interesting character; a foil who plays such a role in theatrical comedy."
      ],
      "id": "en-straight_man-en-noun-aW6IQKZi",
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          "character",
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        ],
        [
          "foil",
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        ],
        [
          "theatrical",
          "theatrical"
        ],
        [
          "comedy",
          "comedy"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) A member (of any gender) of a team of comic performers who plays a supporting role by helping to set up jokes and punch lines through engaging in dialog with another comedian playing a more eccentric or otherwise more interesting character; a foil who plays such a role in theatrical comedy."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "setup man"
        },
        {
          "word": "stooge"
        },
        {
          "word": "second banana"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "86 14",
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "supporting comic",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "nahrávač"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "86 14",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "supporting comic",
          "word": "tavallinen mies"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "86 14",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "supporting comic",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "clown blanc"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "86 14",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "supporting comic",
          "tags": [
            "masculine"
          ],
          "word": "Stichwortgeber"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "86 14",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "supporting comic",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "Stichwortgeberin"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "86 14",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "supporting comic",
          "word": "hétköznapi embert/figurát játszó/alakító komikus"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "86 14",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "supporting comic",
          "tags": [
            "feminine"
          ],
          "word": "spalla"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "86 14",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "tsukkomi",
          "sense": "supporting comic",
          "word": "ツッコミ"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "86 14",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "supporting comic",
          "word": "escada"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "86 14",
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "note": "бе́лый кло́ун m (bélyj klóun, literally “white clown”)",
          "sense": "supporting comic"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "86 14",
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "supporting comic",
          "word": "komedyen yardakçısı"
        },
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          "_dis1": "86 14",
          "code": "tr",
          "lang": "Turkish",
          "sense": "supporting comic",
          "word": "şamaroğlanı"
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          "_dis": "43 57",
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          "parents": [
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            "Literature",
            "Theater",
            "Culture",
            "Entertainment",
            "Writing",
            "Art",
            "Society",
            "Human behaviour",
            "Language",
            "All topics",
            "Human",
            "Communication",
            "Fundamental"
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          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
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          "_dis": "46 54",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Stock characters",
          "orig": "en:Stock characters",
          "parents": [
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            "Fiction",
            "Artistic works",
            "Art",
            "Culture",
            "Society",
            "All topics",
            "Fundamental"
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          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "the committee consisted of two lesbians and a straight man"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see straight, man; for example, a heterosexual man."
      ],
      "id": "en-straight_man-en-noun-9cElvtkf",
      "links": [
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      "related": [
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          "_dis1": "8 92",
          "word": "deadpan"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "8 92",
          "tags": [
            "noun"
          ],
          "word": "feed"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "8 92",
          "word": "funnyman"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "8 92",
          "word": "second banana"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "8 92",
          "word": "top banana"
        }
      ]
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      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/En-au-straight_man.ogg",
      "tags": [
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  "word": "straight man"
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      "word": "feed"
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      ],
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        "(idiomatic) A member (of any gender) of a team of comic performers who plays a supporting role by helping to set up jokes and punch lines through engaging in dialog with another comedian playing a more eccentric or otherwise more interesting character; a foil who plays such a role in theatrical comedy."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "setup man"
        },
        {
          "word": "stooge"
        },
        {
          "word": "second banana"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
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        {
          "text": "the committee consisted of two lesbians and a straight man"
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      ],
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      "tags": [
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  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "supporting comic",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "nahrávač"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "supporting comic",
      "word": "tavallinen mies"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "supporting comic",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "clown blanc"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "supporting comic",
      "tags": [
        "masculine"
      ],
      "word": "Stichwortgeber"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "supporting comic",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "Stichwortgeberin"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "supporting comic",
      "word": "hétköznapi embert/figurát játszó/alakító komikus"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "supporting comic",
      "tags": [
        "feminine"
      ],
      "word": "spalla"
    },
    {
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "tsukkomi",
      "sense": "supporting comic",
      "word": "ツッコミ"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "supporting comic",
      "word": "escada"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "note": "бе́лый кло́ун m (bélyj klóun, literally “white clown”)",
      "sense": "supporting comic"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "supporting comic",
      "word": "komedyen yardakçısı"
    },
    {
      "code": "tr",
      "lang": "Turkish",
      "sense": "supporting comic",
      "word": "şamaroğlanı"
    }
  ],
  "word": "straight man"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-05-01 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (f4fd8c9 and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.