clean house
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Verb phrase:
- To clean and tidy a house or other living space thoroughly: This phrase means to perform a comprehensive cleaning of a home, including tasks like dusting, vacuuming, mopping, and organizing.
Usage
- The phrase "clean house" is used to describe the act of performing a thorough domestic cleaning. It is an intransitive verb phrase; you do not "clean house" an object. You simply perform the activity.
- It often implies a systematic or complete cleaning, not just a quick tidy-up.
Examples
- Verb phrase:
- I need to clean house this weekend; the place is a mess.
- She cleans house every Saturday morning without fail.
Advanced Usage
- "to clean house" (figurative): To remove inefficiency, corruption, or unwanted elements from an organization or group.
- The new CEO vowed to clean house and fire incompetent managers.
- After the scandal, the political party promised to clean house.
Variants and Related Words
Housecleaning (n): The act or process of cleaning a house. Also used figuratively.
- She does her housecleaning on Fridays.
- The department's housecleaning led to several resignations.
Houseclean (v): A less common verb form meaning the same as "clean house."
- She housecleans every week.
Synonyms
- Tidy up: To make a place neat and orderly.
- Spring-clean: To clean a house thoroughly, typically in the spring.
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Clean up: To make a place clean and tidy. This can be used more broadly than "clean house."
- Please clean up your room. (This could mean organizing toys, not necessarily mopping floors.)
- We need to clean up the kitchen after dinner.
Related Idioms
- Clean sweep: A complete change or removal of people or things, similar to the figurative use of "clean house."
- The election resulted in a clean sweep for the opposition party.
Verb
- clean and tidy up the house
- She housecleans every week