clear the air
Related to clear the air: turn up, couldn't, vanish into thin air
clear the air
1. To remove or improve stale air or an unpleasant odor. Please open a window and clear the air in here—it's too stuffy.
2. To discuss or otherwise confront a troublesome issue, usually with the goal of alleviating tension or confusion. The silent treatment isn't helping the situation between you two, so just clear the air already. Once we cleared the air, we found that it had just been a simple misunderstanding.
3. To remove doubt from a situation. They were able to clear the air by producing the document in question, so that we could all see it for ourselves.
See also: air, clear
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
clear the air
1. Lit. to get rid of stale or bad air. Open some windows and clear the air. It's stuffy in here.
2. Fig. to get rid of doubts or hard feelings. All right, let's discuss this frankly. It'll be better if we clear the air.
See also: air, clear
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
clear the air
Eliminate confusion, dispel controversy or emotional tension, as in His letter has cleared the air; we now know where he stands. This idiom alludes to an atmosphere cleared of sultriness by a storm. [Late 1800s]
See also: air, clear
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
clear the air
COMMON If something such as an argument or a discussion clears the air, it makes bad feelings between people go away. I get angry and frustrated with Hannah's behaviour, but I'm a great believer in expressing my feelings to clear the air. Some groups in our community seem to suffer from discrimination. An independent inquiry could clear the air and sort out the problem. Note: You can also talk about air-clearing. Goalkeeper Edwards said that the half-time air-clearing session turned the game round.. Note: Journalists sometimes talk about clear-the-air meetings or talks. He is determined to have a clear-the-air meeting with Murray this weekend.
See also: air, clear
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.
clear the air
defuse or clarify an angry, tense, or confused situation by frank discussion.This expression comes from the idea that a thunderstorm makes the air less humid.
See also: air, clear
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
clear the ˈair
remove the causes of disagreement, fear, doubts, etc. by talking about them honestly and openly: Mary had been bad-tempered with me for days, so in an attempt to clear the air, I asked her what the matter was.See also: air, clear
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
clear the air
To dispel differences or emotional tensions.
See also: air, clear
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
clear the air, to
To remove confusion or controversy. The analogy to stormy weather was made as long ago as the fourteenth century, although at first the term meant to free something from clouds or other obscuring elements. In time it came to mean getting rid of the sultry oppressiveness common before a storm, which then was transferred to the removal of misunderstanding or ambiguity. Thus a British reporter wrote, “His explicit . . . reply to Parnell’s speech . . . cleared the air” (Manchester Examiner, 1885).
See also: clear
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- clear the air, to
- breath of fresh air, (like) a
- grievance
- air (one's) grievances
- air grievances
- air one's grievances
- dance on air
- walk on air
- walk on air, to
- float on air