to set the record straight
42
3.2
- idiom
:
aclarar los hechos
- I want to set the record straight about what really happened during the meeting.
So what I'm going to do today is really to, I hope, set the record straight.
- So what I'm going to do today is really to, I hope, set the record straight.
- And I think, like I say, I wanted, I wanted to set the record straight about those players and that team.
- So this afternoon, Donald Trump called reporters into the Oval Office to set the record straight.
- I would like to speak to some of those untrue things and let's set the record straight about them.
- Plus, I set the record straight about the men competing in women's boxing in the Olympics.
- I want you to actually set the record straight because the audience, I can tell you right now, this is going to be a very simple litmus test.
- We've had Kirk Norcross on earlier and he set the record straight.
Examples
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Well then, this is your chance to set the record straight.
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Now we have an opportunity to set the record straight.
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Let me just set the record straight here, OK?
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And I think, like I say, I wanted, I wanted to set the record straight about those players and that team.
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Perhaps you will allow me to set the record straight?
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I think it's time to set the record straight.
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I want to set the record straight.
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Let me set the record straight.
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But we believe it is our role to set the record straight.
Blog text (9) -
But in order to do so, we have to set the record straight first and foremost.
Blog text (7)
Synonyms
814
2.7
Say what really happened without hiding facts or lying
96
3.9
To correct a wrong idea and make things clear
48
3.2
To say something that is true even if it is surprising
5
4.2
To correct a wrong idea or explain what really happened
1
8.4
To show that something is not true
To explain and correct false information so it is clear and accurate
Antonyms
How Clear
54
8.6
42
3.2
483
1.0
248
3.3
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The overall meaning is partially derivable from the parts: 'set' (to make/put), 'record' (an account of events) and 'straight' (correct/clear) together suggest making the account correct. However, the construction 'set the record straight' functions as a conventionalized phrase where 'set ... straight' means 'to correct', so the exact pragmatic force may not be fully predictable to a B1 learner without prior exposure.
Etymology
Set the record straight comes from the image of fixing a written record so it is straight and shows the right facts. So today it means 'to give the true facts' or 'correct a misunderstanding'.