Make a clean breast of it


What's the meaning of the phrase 'Make a clean breast of it'?

To make a full disclosure; to confess.

What's the origin of the phrase 'Make a clean breast of it'?

The Oxford English Dictionary defines the noun breast as ‘the two soft protuberances situated on the thorax in females’. The meaning used in ‘make a clean breast of it’ is an earlier and less literal one. The ‘breast’ there is the seat of the one’s emotions and secrets; one’s ‘heart’. To disclose this openly was to clean one’s heart of impurity. Any mention of breasts now is likely to be a reference to the ‘soft protuberances’ – we are more liable these days to ‘get something off our chest’.

‘Make a clean breast of it’ is known since the 18th century and is cited by Cameron in The Scots Magazine, 1752:

“He pressed him… to make a clean breast, and tell him all.”

The phrase parallels the later, 19th century American ‘come clean‘.

See also, ‘keep your hands clean‘ / ‘keep your nose clean

Gary Martin is a writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.

Gary Martin

Writer and researcher on the origins of phrases and the creator of the Phrase Finder website. Over the past 26 years more than 700 million of his pages have been downloaded by readers. He is one of the most popular and trusted sources of information on phrases and idioms.
Make a clean breast of it

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