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John Lawler
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Straight is a metaphor, and means heterosexual only in a limited set of contexts.
Most of the time it doesn't mean that.

  • It's 20 miles straight North to the border.
  • I'm pretty sure she's been straight with me about that.
  • Stand up straight and look straight ahead.
  • Honestly, you're such a straight arrow; would it kill you to ignore that stuff?
  • Be sure to position it straight up; we don't want to have to brace it.

The metaphor theme is Morality is a Straight Line, which is part of Life is a Journey.
The unspoken, but very prominent, presupposition of this metaphor theme is that homosexuality
is immoral, while heterosexuality is moral, and therefore straight.

John Lawler
  • 108.7k
  • 11
  • 184
  • 481