Straight as a die

Posted by ESC on July 18, 2004

In Reply to: Straight as a die posted by Henry on July 18, 2004

: : "Straight as a Dime"

: "Straight as a die" means honest or loyal. My dictionary, the Concise Oxford Dictionary, says that die is the singular of dice. A die should be fair and not subject to other influences. It also occurs in the phrase "the die is cast".

: For earlier discussions of the phrase, look in the archives. Go back a page and use the Search box at the top.

I've never heard "straight as a dime."

AS STRAIGHT AS A DIE - "Entirely honest; morally upright. The reference is to the engineer's die used to cut the thread down the outside of a metal rod. The die must be straight-running and true if the thread is to engage properly with the groove cut into the female receive." From Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable revised by Adrian Room (HarperCollinsPublishers, New York, 1999, Sixteenth Edition).

From Merriam-Webster online. See 2b.
Die -- 3 plural dies : any of various tools or devices for imparting a desired shape, form, or finish to a material or for impressing an object or material: as a : the larger of a pair of cutting or shaping tools that when moved toward each other produce a desired form in or impress a desired device on an object by pressure or by a blow : a device composed of a pair of such tools b : a hollow internally threaded screw-cutting tool used for forming screw threads c : a mold into which molten metal or other material is forced d : a perforated block through which metal or plastic is drawn or extruded for shaping

• Do or die Henry 18/July/04
  • PS forgot Lewis 19/July/04
    • Straight talking Henry 19/July/04
      • Straight talking Bob 19/July/04
        • Straightforward Henry 19/July/04
  • Only the good die young Lewis 19/July/04
    • Only the good die young dhm 19/July/04
      • OOH! Lewis 19/July/04