Straight Man (Noun)
Meaning
A performer who acts as stooge to a comedian.
Classification
Nouns denoting people.
Examples
- Bob Hope often toured with his trusted straight man, Les Brown, who played the straight foil to Hope's witty jokes.
- In the classic comedy duo, the straight man was tasked with setting up and reacting to the comedian's jokes and antics.
- Dean Martin would often play the comedic role while Jerry Lewis acted as the straight man, but eventually, Lewis took on the more comedic role.
- A popular aspect of many comedian partnerships is the use of a straight man to ground the comedy in reality and offer contrast to the comedian.
- The straight man's role in comedy can vary from simply setting up a situation for the comedian to cleverly subverting expectations by reacting in unexpected ways to jokes.