straighten up

English

straighten up (third-person singular simple present straightens up, present participle straightening up, simple past and past participle straightened up)

(intransitive) To become straight, or straighter
- 2006, American Motoryclist - Jan 2006, Victory's Kingpin goes its own way
  bank the big cruiser into the first of a series of corners, make a few quick left, right, left transitions, then the road straightens up for a stretch...
(transitive, intransitive) to steer straight
- 13 October 2010, Blackpool Gazette, 'Bad driving' led to biker death crash
  He said "As I came out of the bend I went to straighten up the car and it just seemed to be carrying on turning."
(intransitive) to sit up straight, to stop hunching.
- 2005, Heike Lebherz, Riding For Pleasure:
  Horse skin smells good. Lay your cheek against his neck and have a good cuddle. Now straighten up slowly again, and sit loosely.
(transitive) to deal with; put in order
- 1994, Mccook Daily Gazette, Jul 12, 1994, Mail Delivery Trying To Get Up To Speed
  The Postal Service sent a special task force to straighten up the city's problems with a back-to-basics approach
(transitive) to tidy; tidy up
- 2005, Richard R. Simmons, A Long Hard Ride:
  The lockers were all standing wide open with equipment and uniforms scattered all over the room, he had left a note under the bottle telling me to straighten up the room, then straighten myself up before coming to work the next day.
(transitive) To clarify
(intransitive) to start living a reformed life