English Idioms
Comprehensive resource for understanding and mastering English idioms
Make a clean breast
Meaning
The idiom "make a clean breast" means to reveal everything that is known or has happened, without any secrets or hidden information being kept back. It refers to making a full confession or disclosure of all the facts, especially if they are unpleasant or embarrassing.
Usage
- When you make a clean breast of your mistakes, it shows that you are taking responsibility for them and learning from them.
- The whistleblower made a clean breast of their wrongdoing, exposing the corrupt officials in the company.
- She was afraid to make a clean breast of her past relationship because she didn't want to hurt his feelings.
- When you make a clean breast of your plans, it shows that you are open and honest about them.
- The detective made a clean breast of the case, solving the mystery that had stumped everyone else.
Roots and History
The idiom "make a clean breast" has its roots in Old English, where "breast" referred to the chest or torso. In medieval times, it was common for people to reveal all their secrets by laying bare their chest, metaphorically speaking. Over time, the phrase took on the figurative meaning of revealing all information, without any secrets or hidden truths being kept back.
Synonyms in English
- Spill the beans
- Reveal everything
- Go public with it
- Out into the open
- Tell it like it is
Synonyms in other languages
- In French, the idiom "tout raconter" means to tell everything.
- In Spanish, "contar todo" means to tell all of it.
- In Italian, "dichiarare tutto" means to declare everything.
- In German, "alles offenzulegen" means to make everything public.
- In Japanese, "すべて言っている" means to say everything openly.