straight arrow
straight arrow (metaphor)
/ˌstreɪt ˈæroʊ/
Meanings
- A person who is honest, trustworthy, and morally upright.
- Someone who strictly follows rules and principles.
- A person who is reliable, dependable, and sincere.
- A person who is socially conventional or avoids risky/illegal activities.
- (Literal) An arrow that flies directly without deviation.
Synonyms: upright; honest; principled; law-abiding; conventional; decent
Example Sentences
- John is a straight arrow who never lies or cheats.
- The politician’s straight arrow reputation was a key factor in his election victory.
- As a police officer, she’s a straight arrow who always follows the law.
- He’s a straight arrow, so you’ll never catch him at a wild party.
- The hunter released a straight arrow that hit the target perfectly. (literal)
Origin and History
The phrase “straight arrow” emerged as a mid-20th-century North American idiom. It almost certainly developed by conversion from the older simile straight as an arrow (“upright; without deviation”), which is itself centuries old in English.
In short, the arrow’s literal straight flight became a metaphor for moral uprightness, and eventually a noun label for a person.
Country of Origin
The expression is identified as mainly U.S./North American. The earliest dated citations are from American sources, supporting a U.S. origin.
Earliest Printed Record
The earliest attested print use is 1956 (noun, ‘an honest, clean-living person’). While earlier literal or related “straight…” expressions abound, no securely dated idiomatic straight arrow predating 1956 has been found.
Predecessor Expressions and Influence
- Predecessor similes: straight as an arrow is well established in English and likely primes the later nouning of straight + arrow into a person label.
- Parallel idioms: straight shooter (‘honest person’) is documented earlier, showing a productive straight + projectile/aiming metaphor in American English that straight arrow fits into.
Mass-Media Booster Hypothesis
From 1948–1951, a popular U.S. juvenile western radio serial titled Straight Arrow aired nationally, spawning comic books (1950–1956) and comic strips. While the character’s name is not the idiom itself, this saturation almost certainly helped familiarize the collocation “Straight Arrow” for a heroic, virtuous figure, plausibly reinforcing or accelerating the idiomatic noun’s uptake in the 1950s. This is a plausible influence, not a proven origin.
Usage Notes and Later Developments
The adverbial form of straight arrow (‘honestly, truly’) appears from 1960, showing quick functional spread after the noun emerges. Today, the noun continues to mean an honest, conventional, rule-following person.
Competing and Folk Theories
- Native-American-name theory: Some suggest the sense “decent, conventional person” arose from a stereotypical Native American “brave” name. This likely reflects the prominence of the radio/comic hero rather than the actual first coinage of the idiom, and it conflicts with the earlier 1956 evidence. Treat this as a folk link, not a primary origin.
- Confusion with “straight and narrow“: Occasional puns like “straight and arrow” exist, but they are later wordplays, not sources of the idiom.
Variants
- straight as an arrow
- as straight as an arrow
- straight-arrow type
- straight-arrow guy
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