straight a also strait.
1 Of a stretch of coast, without coves, harbours or anchorage.
1832 MCGREGOR i, 201 And then, along the strait of Belle Isle to Cape Norman, the most north-westerly point of Newfoundland, a straight shore prevails, along which an old Indian path is observable. 1912 Nfld Qtly Summer, p. 15 The West Coast of Newfoundland is, on the whole, a very straight one and Bonne Bay is the last opening or harbour of safety going north for roughly a hundred miles. 1933 GREENLEAF 278 Between Port Saunders and Bonne Bay the steamer stops and anchors off three ports of call, but on that whole seventy five mile stretch there is no safe harbor, and the shore is straight. 1975 BUTLER 94-5 The shore was straight with no cove to get in out of the ice and the cliff was too perpendicular to climb.
2 Comb straight edge: seaward side of an icefloe; OUTSIDE EDGE.
1909 BROWNE 298 At the end of [December] a straight edge, known as the 'fast ice' is formed from island or rocks several miles from shore, outside which ice flows continuously from December to June. 1924 ENGLAND 79 The seals may be gone to the straight edge. I'd give a wonderful lot to find where them to!
straight shore: (a) stretch of coast from Cape Freels to Farewell Head; (b) from Port Saunders to Bonne Bay; see sense 1 above.
1792 PULLING MS Aug 1 saw about a dozen Indians together on the Strait shore four years ago but they ran into the woods. 1875 Maritime Mo v, 513 A Red Indian who had been killed on the 'Straight Shore'. . . 1887 BOND 123 We must have drifted in the night along the very worst part of the Straight Shore, and I needn't tell you, friends, what that place is like in a gale of wind and heavy sea. 1896 HOWLEY MS Reminiscences 31 We were at [Daniel's] Harbour and Belburns early, before I was up. As they are very insignificant places on the straight shore, there was no inducement to see them. 1912 Nfld Qtly Summer, p. 15 We ... make our way along the straight shore to Port Saunders. No harhours, no boats. M 69-2 Wesleyville was the last good harbour near the 'straight' shore.
straight shaft: dory with keel attached and engine held at stern by a connecting rod (M 68-3).
