Street voices
Hugues
·
United States
"Straight up. Something you say in the middle of a statement to indicate seriousness or genuineness. Hey man, I've been listening to a lot of Terrence Howard and I gotta say, I believe him. One plus one equals three. Oh my God, dude. You are straight up stupid. Stupid. Idiot."
What it means
Used when you mean honestly, seriously, or no joke. You can drop it before a statement, after one, or throw it back as a quick Are you serious? It also works as an intensifier, like straight up ridiculous or straight up amazing. The vibe is plain truth with no fluff on it.
Usage examples
"He reckons he paid eighteen quid for oat milk. Straight up? Straight up, mate, and he thanked the self-service till like it was doing him a favour."
"Straight up, that was the best meal I have had all year, and I am already planning when the two of us go back."
"Straight up, if they cancel again, I'm not saving them a seat this time."
"You paid forty bucks for that tiny burger? Straight up? Yeah, straight up, and it wasn't even nice."
"Straight up, I'm not doing another group project with him. Man vanishes till the night before."
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Where it comes from
It comes from older American English uses of straight meaning direct, honest, or plain, plus up as an intensifier. The bartending phrase straight up exists too, but the everyday slang sense wasn't simply born there. In speech, straight up settled into meaning honestly, seriously, or totally, with no sugarcoat energy.
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