straight man
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straight man
- /ˈstɹeɪtˌmæn/
- /ˌstɹeɪt ˈmæn/
- /ˈstɹeɪt ˌmæn/
noun straight men
-
A member (of any gender) of a team of comic performers who plays a supporting role by helping to set up jokes and punch lines through engaging in dialog with another comedian playing a more eccentric or otherwise more interesting character; a foil who plays such a role in theatrical comedy.
For many years Bud Abbott served brilliantly as Lou Costello's deadpan straight man.
Similar: setup man, stooge, second banana
- Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see straight, man; for example, a heterosexual man. The committee consisted of two lesbians and a straight man.
Translations
Every language
noun supporting comic
| 日本語 | ツッコミ tsukkomi |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 捧哏 pěng gēn |
| Português | escada |
| Français | clown blanc |
| Deutsch | Stichwortgeber, Stichwortgeberin |
| Italiano | spalla |
Talk about this word "straight man." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/straight%20man. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. straight man. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/straight%20man "straight man." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/straight%20man.Cite this
@misc{straight_man_2026,
title = {straight man},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/straight%20man},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
