clean up one's act
Start behaving properly
To clean up one's act is to improve one's behavior, habits, or performance after a period of misconduct or poor results.
The phrase implies previous sloppiness, irresponsibility, or wrongdoing that needs correcting: After his third warning, he finally cleaned up his act.
The metaphor comes from theatrical performance—revising a routine to make it acceptable.
- self-improvementEnhancing oneself deliberately
- integrityMoral soundness and consistency
- repentanceRemorseful rejection of past wrongs
- mend one's waysCorrect one's behavior
- change of heartReversal of opinion
discipline · shape up · rectification · redemption · decluttering · organization · neat · honesty · go straight · self-awareness · habit formation · kick the habit · self-control · accountability · own up to · tidy · amend · straighten out
clean up one's actgo off the rails
let oneself go · fall off the wagon · backslide · relapse · go downhill
clean up one's actgo bad
Become unfit for consumption
fall from grace · sell one's soul · lose one's way · degenerate · stray from the path
clean, ones, cleans, cleaned, cleaning, cleaner, cleaners, cleanest, cleanliness