English Reference

Idiom

keep one's nose clean

Meaning

To stay out of trouble, especially by avoiding unlawful behavior.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Examples

“He tries to keep his nose clean at his new job.”

“The judge told the teenager that he must keep his nose clean to avoid going to jail.”

“After his release from prison, he was determined to keep his nose clean and build a quiet, honest life for himself.”

Examples

simple

“He tries to keep his nose clean at his new job.”

contextual

“The judge told the teenager that he must keep his nose clean to avoid going to jail.”

complex

“After his release from prison, he was determined to keep his nose clean and build a quiet, honest life for himself.”

Key words

Related idioms

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English Reference