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take to the cleaners

clean·er
T t

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [klee-ner]
    • /teɪk tu stressed ði -nɚ/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [klee-ner]
    • /teɪk tu stressed ði -nɚ/

Definitions of take to the cleaners words

  • noun take to the cleaners a person who cleans, especially one whose regular occupation is cleaning offices, buildings, equipment, etc. 1
  • noun take to the cleaners an apparatus or machine for cleaning, as a vacuum cleaner. 1
  • noun take to the cleaners a preparation for use in cleaning, as a detergent or chemical bleach. 1
  • noun take to the cleaners the owner or operator of a dry-cleaning establishment: The cleaner said he couldn't get the spot off my coat. 1
  • noun take to the cleaners Usually, cleaners. a dry-cleaning establishment: My suit is at the cleaners. 1
  • idioms take to the cleaners take to the cleaners, Slang. to cause to lose all or a great deal of one's money or personal property, as through gambling or a bad investment: He got taken to the cleaners in the poker game last night. 1
See all 7 definitions of take to the cleaners

Information block about the term

Origin of take to the cleaners

First appearance:

before 1425
One of the 25% oldest English words
First recorded in 1425-75, cleaner is from the late Middle English word clener. See clean, -er1

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Take to the cleaners

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Full grammatical hierarchy of Take to the cleaners

take to the cleaners popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 92% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

take to the cleaners usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for take to the cleaners

verb take to the cleaners

  • beat around the bush — to talk around a subject without getting to the point
  • buffalo — A buffalo is a wild animal like a large cow with horns that curve upwards. Buffalo are usually found in southern and eastern Africa.
  • buffaloed — any of several large wild oxen of the family Bovidae. Compare bison, Cape buffalo, water buffalo.
  • buffaloing — any of several large wild oxen of the family Bovidae. Compare bison, Cape buffalo, water buffalo.
  • fleece — the coat of wool that covers a sheep or a similar animal.
All 8 Synonyms of take to the cleaners

See also

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