student asking question

What does "get something straight" mean? Could you give some other examples?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

To "get something straight" is an informal expression which means to understand or comprehend something properly or fully. When Rachel's father says "let me just see if I got this straight," he is confirming to make sure he has understood the situation properly. The expression often contains a feeling of surprise or incredulity. You can understand it as meaning something similar to, "let me confirm I understood this properly." Ex: Let me get this straight. You want me to help you cheat on the exam? Ex: Let me get this straight. You're telling me you won the lottery?

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