straighten out
to make or become less complicated or confused: the situation will straighten out
US and Canadian to reform or become reformed
Words Nearby straighten out
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
How to use straighten out in a sentence
Brown was always quick to straighten out an IKE in the FDNY, but he could do nothing about the IKEs in Washington.
The Bush Administration Know-It-Alls Who Failed to Heed Warnings Before 9/11 | Michael Daly | September 11, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTIn short, Romney needed to straighten out his financial affairs, and those around him should have told him to do it long ago.
Mitt Romney Lost the Summer: Tax Returns, Overseas Gaffes, & More | Robert Shrum | August 8, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTBut, now, to straighten out this coil; to shake himself finally free of Chloe, and make Daphne happy again!
Marriage la mode | Mrs. Humphry WardA friend of Michel's undertook to straighten out his affairs, and managed to save fifteen thousand francs out of the wreck.
The Seven Cardinal Sins: Envy and Indolence | Eugne SueQuickly straighten out all the fingers, and the band will snap over the last two fingers, as shown in Fig. 4.
The Boy Mechanic, Book 2 | Various
Idly his finger seemed to catch in a half open pamphlet, and he bent down casually to straighten out the page.
Molly Make-Believe | Eleanor Hallowell Abbott"I intended to have a talk with you and straighten out some things," he went on.
The Highgrader | William MacLeod Raine
Other Idioms and Phrases with straighten out
Clear up disorder, a confusion, or a misunderstanding, as in This is an awful mess; I hope you'll straighten it out, or I don't understand; please straighten me out. [Late 1800s]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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