clean someone's clock

Slang Dictionary

clock definition


  1. tv.
    to earn, score, or total up someone or something. (As if the person or thing gained were being metered or clocked.) : Sam clocked a date with Sally, and is he ever proud!
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

clean someone's clock

Beat, thrash, or defeat someone decisively, as in He's much bigger than you and could easily clean your clock. This term originated in the military. The use of clock is unclear but possibly alludes to hitting someone in the face (for "clockface"). [Slang; mid-1900s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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