Talk:straight as a die

Wrong etymology

The 'die' in question is a metal-cutting tool, not the singular of dice. This page [1] is about right. Interestingly, the correct 'plural' ('they are as straight as dies') was once used in an episode of the BBC radio comedy 'The Burkiss Way'. 81.103.121.223 13:22, 4 June 2023 (UTC)

Other sources disagree, including several in print (search Google Books): here's a Web example talking about gambling dice: [2]. Equinox ◑ 16:08, 4 June 2023 (UTC)

I suspect (though it's doubtless hard to prove) that 'smooth as a die (cube)' and 'straight as a die (tool)' arose separately, with the former falling into disuse as dice became typically made with less 'smooth' materials (and other smooth materials, silk/marble/glass/baby's bottom etc., became available for comparison) and the latter replacing it with the assumed meaning by most speakers of 'die' being the more familiar object (i.e. the cube).

Essentially, I think this is an 'eggcorn', but it is hidden because the confused words are identical. People talk about 'a damp squid' because they are more familiar with squid than squibs and they can make 'sense' of it (squid are wet and not much use); they do not stop to ask 'why on earth did someone coin that when it could be 'squib', something we can use only if it's dry?' Similarly the best dice are 'straight' and 'true', presumed to mean 'fair', but it's not always so and it's not an absolute necessity of function as it is with dies. The article [3] even admits the expression is 'odd', and we cannot tell (I assume) what sort of die, if any, the referenced writers had in mind (or whether they were 'correct' to do so!)

I think at the very least the page should indicate that it's not completely clear. 81.103.121.223 15:20, 20 June 2023 (UTC)