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straighten up fast

[/ˈstreɪtən ʌp fæst/]
verb phrase
endireitar-se rapidamente / corrigir-se depressa
1. To quickly improve one's posture or physical position by standing or sitting upright
When the teacher walked in, the student straightened up fast.
Quando a professora entrou, o aluno endireitou-se rapidamente.
2. To quickly improve one's behavior or conduct, especially after being warned or criticized
You need to straighten up fast or you'll be expelled from school.
Você precisa corrigir-se depressa ou será expulso da escola.
3. To quickly tidy up or organize a space
The house was a mess, so we had to straighten up fast before the guests arrived.
A casa estava uma bagunça, então tivemos que organizar tudo depressa antes dos convidados chegarem.
NYC Slang
get your act together / shape up / quit your jibber jabber
Synonyms
shape upget your act togetherimprove quicklytidy up quicklycorrect yourself
Antonyms
slouchrelax posturecontinue misbehavingmake a mess

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
endireitar-se rapidamente / corrigir-se depressa / arrumar-se rápido
Common in both formal and informal contexts
Rio de Janeiro
se endireitar logo / se corrigir na hora
Colloquial usage preferred
São Paulo
se arrumar rápido / se endireitar ligeiro
Both standard and colloquial variants used
Portugal
endireitar-se depressa / corrigir-se rápido / pôr-se direito
More formal phrasing typical of European Portuguese

Related Idioms & Phrases

shape up or ship out
get your act together
fly right
put your nose to the grindstone
get with the program
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