clean someone's clock
To defeat someone decisively, in a physical fight or other competition or negotiation.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The champion really cleaned his opponent's clock in the final round.”
“I always clean my brother's clock when we play chess together.”
“Watch out because that new runner will clean your clock in the race.”
“Our team practiced all month, and we were ready to clean their clock during the championship game.”
“If you go into that meeting without your sales data, the client is going to clean your clock during the price negotiation.”
“The local bakery cleaned the supermarket's clock by offering fresher bread and much better customer service this year.”
“The seasoned negotiator arrived prepared to clean the other firm's clock, securing a deal that left them with almost no leverage.”
The idiom is a 19th-century construction derived from the use of *clean* to mean thrash or defeat, paired with *clock* as a metonym for the face of a person. It follows a linguistic pattern of substituting mechanical components for human anatomy, reducing a person to a set of parts to be serviced or struck.
- 01
another nail in someone's coffin
An event that increases the likelihood of or causes further failure.
- 02
answer someone's prayers
To be or do exactly what someone has been wishing or asking for.
- 03
answer to someone's prayers
Exactly what someone has been wishing or asking for.
- 04
apple of someone's eye
The object of somebody's affections; a person (or sometimes a thing) that someone strongly prefers; a favorite, a loved one.
- 05
around the clock
Alternative form of around-the-clock.
- 06
bane of someone's existence
Someone or something that poses a significant problem to someone.
- 07
bash someone's face in
To beat someone violently.
- 08
bash someone's head
To beat up someone violently.
Last updated August 10, 2026