Pronunciation: [wɒz stɹˈe͡ɪt] (IPA) 
The word "was straight" is pronounced as /wɒz streɪt/ in IPA phonetic transcription. The "a" in "was" is pronounced as a short vowel /ɒ/ and the "s" at the end of the word is pronounced as /z/ due to the following word beginning with a consonant. The "a" in "straight" is pronounced as a long vowel /eɪ/. The silent "gh" in "straight" is a remnant of its Middle English spelling and does not affect its pronunciation.
"Was straight" typically refers to a past condition or situation that was honest, truthful, direct, or without deception. It can also pertain to an individual's sexual orientation, indicating that they identified as heterosexual. The term has various meanings depending on the context in which it is used.
In the sense of honesty, someone can say that a person or situation "was straight" to indicate that they were genuine, sincere, and transparent. It implies that the individual was dependable, trustworthy, and not involved in any deceitful or fraudulent activities. For example, if a person says, "He always told me the truth, he was straight," they are emphasizing that the individual in question was consistently honest.
Additionally, the phrase can refer to someone's sexual orientation. In this context, when a person says that they or another person "was straight," they mean that they or the individual identified as heterosexual, i.e., they were romantically or sexually attracted to individuals of the opposite gender. This usage is an alternative to the current tense "is straight."
Overall, whether referring to honesty or sexual orientation, "was straight" implies a past state of being sincere, truthful, direct, or originally identifying as heterosexual, based on the given context of usage.
The phrase "was straight" is not derived from a particular etymology, as it is a combination of two separate words with their own origins:
1. "Was": This is the past tense of the verb "to be" in English. Its etymology can be traced back to Old English, where it was spelled as "wæs" or "waes". It has Germanic origins and is related to similar words in other Germanic languages, such as Old Norse "var" and Old High German "was".
2. "Straight": This word can be traced back to Middle English, where it was spelled as "straht" or "streht" and ultimately comes from the Old English "streht" meaning "stretched out" or "extended". The word evolved from the Proto-Germanic "strahtaz" and is related to the Old High German "recht" and Gothic "straks".
