go straight

present singular third person goes straight · participle present going straight · past went straight · participle past gone straight

1. idiomaticTo discontinue engaging in criminal acts; to become a law-abiding person.

   "I can't take no more time in jail," he said. "I'm going straight."

   1995 July 2, John Tierney, “The Big City: Cheats Like Us”, in New York Times, retrieved 13 Sep 2012

   3 more examples

   "Oh," said Jimmy, "if I ever want any one to break into a safe, come to you, huh?" "You get me," replied the other. . . . "I should think," said Jimmy, "that a man of your ability could earn a living by less precarious methods." "You would think so," replied the Lizard. "I've tried two or three times to go straight. Wore out my shoes looking for a job."

   1921, Edgar Rice Burroughs, chapter 3, in The Efficiency Expert

   [H]e got a law passed threatening them with jail if they did not go straight in the future.

   1951 September 24, “Mexico: Toward the Perfect State”, in Time

   He's proved very reliable since he was paroled. He's a good kid tryin' to go straight, for the most part.

   1989, John Grisham, A Time to Kill, reprint edition, →ISBN, page 12

   Synonyms: play it straight