take to the cleaners
To take a significant quantity of a person's money or valuables, through overcharging, litigation, unfavorable investing, gambling, fraud, etc.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“The dishonest mechanic took me to the cleaners.”
“Professional gamblers often take tourists to the cleaners at the card tables.”
“That overpriced souvenir shop really takes unsuspecting visitors to the cleaners.”
“After losing all his savings in that bad investment, he realized the firm had taken him to the cleaners.”
“If you do not read the contract carefully, those hidden fees will take you to the cleaners before the project even starts.”
“She worried that her ex-husband's expensive lawyers would take her to the cleaners during the final divorce settlement.”
“The aggressive legal team took the small company to the cleaners, leaving them with nothing but debt after the long court battle.”
The idiom is a humorous alteration of the older expression to clean someone out. It appears as a more modern variation on the theme of being stripped of one's resources, shifting the locale from a general state of emptiness to the specific site of a professional service.
- 01
be taken ill
To become ill.
- 02
cross to take up
Alternative form of cross to bear.
- 03
forget to take one's medication this morning
To be annoyed or irritable, or to behave in an ill-mannered way, particularly in the morning.
- 04
get taken in
To be fooled; to fall for.
- 05
give and take
A process of compromise or accommodation.
- 06
give someone an inch and someone will take a mile
Alternative form of give them an inch and they'll take a mile.
- 07
have one's name taken
To receive a yellow card.
- 08
I take it
Used to express one's understanding of another's position.
Last updated August 10, 2026