# clean someone's clock

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/clean-someones-clock
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To defeat someone decisively, in a physical fight or other competition or negotiation.

## Examples

- 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.

## Origin

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.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.