clean

views updated Jun 11 2018

clean / klēn/ • adj. 1. free from dirt, marks, or stains. ∎  having been washed since last worn or used: a clean blouse. ∎  (of paper) not yet marked by writing or drawing. ∎  (of a person) attentive to personal hygiene. ∎  free from pollutants or unpleasant substances. ∎  free from or producing relatively little radioactive contamination.2. morally uncontaminated; pure; innocent: clean living. ∎  not sexually offensive or obscene. ∎  showing or having no record of offenses or crimes: a clean driving license is essential for the job. ∎  played or done according to the rules: it was a good clean fight. ∎  inf. not possessing or containing anything illegal, esp. drugs or stolen goods: I searched his luggage, and he was clean. ∎  inf. (of a person) not taking or having taken drugs or alcohol. ∎  free from ceremonial defilement, according to Mosaic Law and similar religious codes. ∎  (of an animal) not prohibited under such codes and fit to be used for food.3. free from irregularities; having a smooth edge or surface: a clean fracture of the leg. ∎  having a simple, well-defined, and pleasing shape: the clean lines of modernism. ∎  (of an action) smoothly and skillfully done: I still hadn't made a clean takeoff. ∎  (of a taste, sound, or smell) giving a clear and distinctive impression to the senses; sharp and fresh. ∎  (of timber) free from knots.• adv. 1. so as to be free from dirt, marks, or unwanted matter: the room had been washed clean.2. inf. used to emphasize the completeness of a reported action, condition, or experience: he was knocked clean off his feet.• v. [tr.] make (something or someone) free of dirt, marks, or mess, esp. by washing, wiping, or brushing: clean your teeth properly after meals [intr.] he always expected other people to clean up after him | [as n.] (cleaning) Anne will help with the cleaning. ∎  remove the innards of (fish or poultry) prior to cooking.PHRASES: (as) clean as a whistlesee whistle.clean bill of healthsee bill of health.clean someone's clock inf. give someone a beating. ∎  defeat or surpass someone decisively.clean one's plate eat up all the food put on one's plate.a clean sweep1. the removal of all unwanted people or things in order to start afresh: the new leaders wanted to make a clean sweep of the old order.2. the winning of all of a group of similar or related competitions, events, or matches: a clean sweep of Tuesday's primaries.clean up one's act inf. begin to behave in a better way, esp. by giving up alcohol, drugs, or illegal activities.come clean inf. be completely honest; keep nothing hidden: the company has refused to come clean about its pollution record.keep one's hands clean not involve oneself in an immoral act.keep one's nose cleansee nose.make a clean breast of something (or make a clean breast of it) confess fully one's mistakes or wrongdoings.wipe the slate cleansee wipe.PHRASAL VERBS: clean someone out inf. use up or take all someone's money.clean up ∎  make things or an area clean or neat. ∎ inf. make a substantial gain or profit. ∎  win all the prizes available in a sporting competition or series of events: the Germans cleaned up at Wimbledon.clean something up restore order or morality to: the police chief was given the job of cleaning up a notorious district.DERIVATIVES: clean·a·ble adj.clean·ish adj.clean·ness n.

Clean

views updated May 18 2018

Clean ★★ 2004 (R)

Emily (Cheung) and her commonlaw husband Lee Hauser (Johnston) are heroin addicts who abandoned their young son to Lee's parents. Lee, a faded 80s rocker, dies of an overdose, and Emily is sent to jail, where she tries to get clean. After her release, Emily wants to reconnect with her son, but grandma Rosemary (Henry) hates her; grandpa Albrecht (Nolte) is more willing to give Emily a chance. Emily struggles to keep off drugs while attempting to find work and mend fences but the character is so prickly and selfcentered that she garners little sympathy. 110m/C VHS, DVD . CA GB FR Maggie Cheung, Nick Nolte, Beatrice Dalle, Jeanne Balibar, Don McKellar, Martha Henry, James Johnston, Remi Martin, James Dennis, Laetitia Spigarelli; Cameos: David Roback; D: Olivier Assayas; W: Olivier Assayas; C: Eric Gautier; M: David Roback, Brian Eno.

clean

views updated May 18 2018

clean OE. clǣne = OS. klēni, OHG. kleini clear, delicate, small (G. klein small) :- WGmc. *klaini. The historically orig. sense ‘clear, pure’ is most nearly preserved by Eng. among the mod. langs.
Hence cleanly adj. and adv. OE. clǣnlīċ, -līċe; see -LY 1, -LY 2. cleanse OE. clǣnsian.