straight-laced

• strait-laced
• straitlaced

Widely agreed to have originated (centuries ago) in homophonic confusion (in speech) of strait-laced (“tight-laced”), but long since so widely accepted and used, because having such strongly apparent analogy with straight in its senses relating to orthodoxy and conformity (compare squareness), that it can no longer accurately be called erroneous; instead it is an established alternative form with its own reanalyzed surface analysis. Compare straitjacket with *straightjacket; the latter is still usually regarded as an error, but the relationship is analogous.

straight-laced (comparative more straight-laced or straighter-laced, superlative most straight-laced or straightest-laced)

1. Having narrow views on moral matters; prudish.
   • 1687, John Aubrey, Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme, page 20:

     Me thinks St. Augustin was too straight-laced in not liking Organs in Churches.

• tight-laced

• Oxford University Press article