licking clean

Tongue-polishing a surface

To lick clean is to use the tongue to remove every trace of food from a surface—a plate, a bowl, fingers.

The phrase emphasizes thoroughness: The dog licked the bowl clean.

Children lick clean the beaters after mixing cake batter.

The image suggests eager consumption down to the last bit.

Related

slurping · bone dry · devoured · polished · immaculate · sampling · thorough · rinsing · shining · pristine · spick and span · meticulous · buffing · vacuuming · touching · dusting · feeling · wolfed

Opposites
cleanliness outcome

licking cleandirtying

Making unclean

soiling · contaminating · smearing · befouling · sullying

cleaning method

licking cleanscrubbing

Cleaning by rubbing hard

wiping · scouring · hosing down · power washing · mopping

thoroughness

licking cleanneglecting

Failing to attend to

spot cleaning · ignoring

Family

lick, licking, clean, licks, licked, licker, cleans, cleaned, cleaning

Familiarity
Top 200,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G