clean house

clean house

1. To rid a group or organization of the people or policies that are deemed to be troublesome or lacking. After five losing seasons, the owner cleaned house, firing the team's general manager and the entire coaching staff.
2. To strike one violently. If you humiliate me like this again, I'll clean house on you.
See also: clean, house
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

clean house

1. Wipe out corruption or inefficiency, as in It's time the Republican Party cleaned house. This usage is most often applied to an organization. [Slang; c. 1900]
2. Punish, give a beating, as in Whenever he was drunk he threatened to clean house on one and all. [Slang; c. 1900]
See also: clean, house
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

clean house

eliminate corruption or inefficiency. North American
See also: clean, house
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

clean ˈhouse

(American English) remove people or things that are not necessary or wanted: The new manager said he wanted to clean house.
See also: clean, house
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

clean house

Slang
To eliminate or discard what is undesirable: The scandal forced the company to clean house.
See also: clean, house
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
See also:
  • get out of a jam
  • catch a tiger by the tail
  • come to such a pass
  • come to a pretty pass
  • a pretty pass
  • hard sledding
  • be up a/the creek (without a paddle)
  • be up the creek without a paddle
  • before the balloon goes up
  • burden (someone) with (something)
References in periodicals archive
The Clean House is at the New Theatre, Cardiff, from April 15 to 19.
Shalwitz's enthusiasm resulted in a staging of Clean House at Woolly this past summer, under the direction of Rebecca Taichman, who draws attention to another habitual tightrope act of Ruhl's: her flair for joining humor to sadness.
Ruhl modestly suggests part of "Clean House's" appeal is its meaty roles for women in their 50s.
Clean House, Clean Planet is full of scientific research outlining which cleaning products are harmful and why we should worry about the cleaning agents we use.
"If you can't go home and get everybody in your lives to clean house in this vile, evil, America-hating administration, I don't even know what you're made of," he added.
He wished upon the local care keepers of the STL to clean house in order to regain credibility of the tribunal.
"The Clean House" will certainly make you laugh, and maybe shed a tear at the same time.
Men would prefer a woman with a dirty mind to a clean house" - Writer Kathy Lette (pictured).
Kathryn Porter (member of the National Association of Professional Organizers) presents Too Much Stuff is a "faithbased message on keeping a clean house", as told from the personal experience of a mother who learned to preserve hygiene and order for the sake of health, well-being, and as a means to increase her connection to God rather than to distracting material items and disorganization.
The survey by Spontex concluded that those with a clean house enjoy a healthier and more satisfying love life.
A new survey has revealed that for 83% of Brits happiness is a clean house, but not when you're Welsh.
Both themes are elegantly and imaginatively intertwined in Sarah Ruhl's "The Clean House," the Susan Smith Blackburn winner receiving its world preem at Yale Rep.
They should produce shoots which can be taken as cuttings in January/February Pinch out the growing tips of sweet peas in the greenhouse when the stems reach 7.5cm (3in) to encourage bushy growth Clean house plants to ensure dust and dirt on the leaves does not block out the light.
"We have to clean house amongst ourselves," Albert said.
The agenda, therefore, was not reformation but reformulation, not to clean house within the Church but to update her message in order to address a secularized world that could no longer comprehend the traditional categories of Catholic theology and practice.