Meanings
present singular third person straightens up and flies right · participle present straightening up and flying right · past straightened up and flew right · participle past straightened up and flown right
- colloquialidiomaticTo start behaving properly; get one's act together.
Now, we are going to straighten up and fly right is what was said. Well, we didn't straighten up and fly right. We continued our wild spending at home and abroad.
1973, United States, Foreign assistance and related agencies appropriations for 1974, hearings …, 93-1, Subcommittee on Foreign Operations and Related Agencies …, →OCLC, page 801Synonyms: get right
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo start behaving properly; get one's act together.
Translations
Finnish ryhdistäytyä
- ryhdistäytyäto start behaving properly; get one's act together
French se ranger des voitures
- se ranger des voituresto start behaving properly; get one's act together
German sich zusammenreißen
- sich zusammenreißento start behaving properly; get one's act together
Polish poważnieć, spoważnieć
- poważniećto start behaving properly; get one's act together
- spoważniećto start behaving properly; get one's act together
Cite this entry
straighten up and fly right. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/straighten%20up%20and%20fly%20right
“straighten up and fly right.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/straighten%20up%20and%20fly%20right. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “straighten up and fly right,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/straighten%20up%20and%20fly%20right.
Source: straighten up and fly right on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.