clean someone's clock
Beat them soundly
To clean someone's clock is to defeat or beat them decisively, often physically: He kept running his mouth until somebody cleaned his clock.
The phrase suggests a thorough, one-sided victory—knocking someone out or putting them firmly in their place.
It can extend to any crushing defeat: Our team got our clocks cleaned in the playoffs.
- knock downCause to collapse
- beat the pants offDefeat decisively and humiliatingly
- overpowerDefeat by superior force
- humiliateCause painful shame
- annihilateDestroy completely, leaving nothing
beat the stuffing out of · punch out · trounce · win hands down · dominate · run circles around · subdue · outperform · wrestle · triumph · prevail · wallop · clobber · knock out · tackle · spar · edge out · whomp
clean someone's clocktake a beating
take it on the chin · surrender · submit · back down · wave the white flag
clean someone's clockhandle with kid gloves
Treat very carefully
show mercy · pull one's punches · coddle · pamper · cut some slack
clean, cleans, cleaned, cleaning, cleaner, cleaners, cleanest, cleanly, cleanliness