Straight Man

Straight man may refer to:

  • Straight Man, a 1997 novel by Richard Russo
  • Straight man (stock character), a member of a double act who plays a stooge, feed, or comic foil (an actor not meant to be funny who is surprised by, or is the object of, a joke by the comic) in theatrical comedy
  • A heterosexual male

Famous quotes containing the words straight and/or man:

    “The rose and poppy are her flowers; for where
    Is he not found, O Lilith, whom shed scent
    And soft-shed kisses and soft sleep shall snare?
    Lo! as that youth’s eyes burned at thine, so went
    Thy spell through him, and left his straight neck bent
    And round his heart one strangling golden hair.”
    —Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828–1882)

    “As long as the “woman’s work” that some men do is socially devalued, as long as it is defined as woman’s work, as long as it’s tacked onto a “regular” work day, men who share it are likely to develop the same jagged mouth and frazzled hair as the coffee-mug mom. The image of the new man is like the image of the supermom: it obscures the strain.”
    —Arlie Hochschild (20th century)