English Idioms
Comprehensive resource for understanding and mastering English idioms
Straighten up and fly right
Meaning
The idiom "straighten up and fly right" means to correct one's behavior or actions, especially by following the rules or doing what is expected. It can also mean to behave correctly or to be upright in one's behavior. The phrase "fly right" may refer to flying in a straight line or flying correctly.
Usage
- I got caught speeding and my dad told me to straighten up and fly right.
- After the accident, the manager reminded us to straighten up and fly right.
- When I started working at the hospital, they emphasized the importance of straightening up and flying right.
- The new employee was nervous about making mistakes, but she quickly learned to straighten up and fly right.
- After the incident with the customer, the team had to work on straightening up and flying right.
Roots and History
The idiom "straighten up and fly right" has been in use since at least the 1930s. It may have originated from the flight training industry, where pilots are taught to maintain a straight course in the air. The phrase "fly right" may refer to flying safely or correctly. Over time, the idiom has come to be used more broadly to refer to correcting one's behavior or actions.
Synonyms in English
- Get on track
- Get back on the straight and narrow
- Clean up one's act
- Straighten out one's behavior
- Pull oneself together
Synonyms in other languages
- French: Corriger son comportement (to correct one's behavior)
- Spanish: Rectificar su conducta (to rectify one's behavior)
- German: Zurechnen mit dem Straßenverkehr (to account for one's actions with traffic laws)
- Italian: Corregere il proprio comportamento (to correct one's behavior)
- Russian: Править себя (to regulate oneself)