come clean en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Meanings
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(idiomatic) To confess; admit the truth.
"You better come clean, Swan, and tell the whole thing. What was it? Don't talk in circles."
1921, B. M. Bower, chapter 6, in Sawtooth Ranch:Perhaps it is only fair to come clean at the start and confess that I found J.R.R. Tolkien's Unfinished Tales a disappointment.
1977 October 23, John Gardner, “The World Of Tolkien”, in New York Times, retrieved 12 Sep 2013:When the sub got stuck, the brass kept the fact under wraps for 32 hours before Russia came clean and asked for foreign help.
2005 August 8, “Quotes of the Day”, in Time, retrieved 12 Sep 2013:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| comes clean | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| coming clean | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| came clean | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| come clean | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic |
Synonyms
Translations (20)
ro mărturisi (to confess) · de reinen Tisch machen (to confess) · cs kápnout božskou (to confess) · fr avouer (to confess) · lt prisipažinti (to confess) · cs přiznat barvu (to confess) · hu mindent beismer/elismer/bevall (to confess) · pl przyznawać się (to confess) · pl przyznać się (to confess) · cmn 和盤托出 /和盘托出 (to confess) · it confessare (to confess) · hu kirukkol/előrukkol az igazsággal (to confess) · hu elmondja az igazat / a teljes igazságot (to confess) · cmn 坦白交待 (to confess) · es confesar (to confess) · fi tunnustaa (to confess) · ja 告白する (to confess) · fr se confesser (to confess) · fi myöntää (to confess) · ru признаться (to confess)