| STRAIGHTJACKET |
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STRAITJACKET |
The old word "strait" ("narrow, tight") has survived only as a noun in geography referring to a narrow body of water ("the Bering Strait") and in a few adjectival uses such as "straitjacket" (a narrowly confining garment) and "strait-laced" (literally laced up tightly, but usually meaning narrow-minded). Its unfamiliarity causes many people to mistakenly substitute the more common "straight." Incidentally, the "street called Strait" in the King James Version of the Bible was narrow rather than free of bends.