strait-laced

Founding-era definition · Webster's 1828 American Dictionary

STRAIT-LACED, adjective [strait and lace.] 1. Griped with stays. We have few well-shaped that are strait-laced 2. Stiff; constrained. Hence, 3. Rigid in opinion; strict.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI

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