The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms - tautadj.

1) tight, tense, strained, stretched, rigid, stiff: When his jaw goes taut like that I know he's angry. 2) Nautical neat, tidy, Bristol fashion, shipshape, spruce, (in) trim, smart, orderly, well-organized; well-disciplined: Captain Scriven runs a taut ship, no doubt about it.