Learn English – What does “straight out of [person]” mean

idiomsmeaningprepositions

I know the meaning of the straight out. But what does it mean with of?
For example:

It’s straight out of Alice Miller.

Best Answer

In short, straight out of someone means characteristic of the works of someone.

If I said

I had an experience straight out of Stephen King.

I would mean an experience that could have easily taken place in a Stephen King novel. Since Stephen King is a very well-known horror writer, I’m saying the experience was absolutely terrifying (and possibly otherwordly).

Similarly, if I said

She’s like a character straight out of Ayn Rand.

I might be implying she is selfish and narcissistic to the point of being a caricature, because the characters in Ayn Rand’s novels [and her real life...] were ridiculously self-absorbed.

Or, if I witnessed a streetfight, and when retelling the story, wanted to emphasize its violence, I might say

It was a scene straight out of Tarantino.

Thus, straight out of Alice Miller might be read as a textbook case of neglect and child abuse. In The Pain and the Itch, for example, one character (Kelly) says:

No, it’s straight out of Alice Miller: neglect alternating with sarcasm.

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