straight goods

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English

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Pronunciation

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Noun

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straight goods pl (plural only)

  1. (idiomatic, often preceded by the) The truth; the facts.
    • 1900, Sandburrs, Alfred Henry Lewis, p. 188 (Google books):
      "[I]n me yout' I was d' star poople of d' Sunday school dey opens long ago at d' Five Points. That's straight goods, see!"
    • 1975, Matt Braun, Bloody Hand, →ISBN, page 31:
      All the same, where did the straight goods leave off and the horseshit begin?
    • 2011 September 2, Michael Barbaro, “Bloomberg Is Chastised Over Silence on Deputy”, in New York Times, retrieved 1 May 2016:
      The News wrote that the mayor “let loyalty get the better of his duty to provide the public with straight goods.”
    • 2015 January 12, Royson James, “Let’s clear our heads and rethink this transit mess”, in The Star, Toronto, Canada, retrieved 1 May 2016:
      Over three decades of writing about transit in the Toronto region has landed me in a stupor, unable to give readers the straight goods on our transit needs.
  2. (idiomatic, often preceded by the) Someone or something authentic.
    • 1994 May 10, Guy Gugliotta, “Capital Notebook”, in Washington Post, retrieved 1 May 2016:
      Is she the straight goods, or is she a gold digger trying to con him?
    • 2003 October 31, R. M. Campbell, “Ensemble is sheer artistry, pure and simple”, in Seattle Post-Intelligencer, retrieved 1 May 2016:
      There is no hype about the musicians, no fancy dress, no gimmick to catch the wandering eye. They are simply the straight goods—trenchant musicianship and first-rate ensemble.