make a clean breast
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make a clean breast
- /ˈmeɪk ə ˈkliːn bɹɛst/ UK
- /ˈmeɪk ə ˈklin bɹɛst/ US
Where it comes from
From the notion that secrets are figuratively hidden in the heart which is contained in the breast (“chest”), and that admitting them will cause the heart to become clean and pure.
verb makes a clean breast · making a clean breast · made a clean breast
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Often followed by of: to be honest about something; to confess.
He preſſed him earneſtly to make a clean breaſt, and tell him all he knew of [Colin Roy Campbell of] Glenure's murder. To which Breck [i.e., Alan Breck Stewart] anſwered with an oath, that he had never ſeen Glenure dead or alive.
Similar: acknowledge, admit, assent, avow, beknow, come clean, concede, confess, fess, fess up, front up, make a clean breast
Talk about this word "make a clean breast." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/make%20a%20clean%20breast. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. make a clean breast. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/make%20a%20clean%20breast "make a clean breast." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/make%20a%20clean%20breast.Cite this
@misc{make_a_clean_breast_2026,
title = {make a clean breast},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/make%20a%20clean%20breast},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
