- Meaning
- This idiom describes fully confessing or disclosing one’s wrongdoings, secrets, or burdens, revealing everything honestly to clear one’s conscience or resolve a situation, as if baring one’s ‘breast’ or heart completely. It conveys a cathartic act of truth-telling, often involving guilt, shame, or hidden truths, and is used in personal, moral, or legal contexts to emphasize the importance of openness and accountability. The phrase carries a tone of sincerity, relief, or moral urgency, reflecting cultural values of honesty, repentance, and the human need to unburden oneself through confession. It resonates in settings where trust or forgiveness is sought, capturing the emotional weight of revealing difficult truths, and its archaic imagery adds a layer of solemnity, evoking a deeply personal act of exposure that seeks redemption or clarity.
- Origin
- The phrase originated in 17th-century England, rooted in religious and moral traditions where ‘making a clean breast’ meant confessing sins to God or a priest, as seen in Puritan writings emphasizing spiritual purity. The term ‘breast’ symbolized the heart or soul, with ‘clean’ denoting absolution, as noted in John Bunyan’s *The Pilgrim’s Progress* (1678), where confession is a step toward salvation. An early secular use appears in Samuel Pepys’ 1660 diary, describing a servant ‘making a clean breast’ of a theft. The idiom gained traction in 18th-century Britain, reflecting a culture of moral accountability, as seen in Samuel Richardson’s *Clarissa* (1748), which explores guilt and confession. Its use grew in 19th-century British and American literature, particularly in legal and moral narratives, with Charles Dickens’ *Bleak House* (1853) employing it for characters seeking redemption. The phrase’s adoption was amplified in the 20th century through detective fiction and courtroom dramas, notably in Agatha Christie’s novels, where confessions drive plots. Its spread to American and Commonwealth English came through British literary influence, and its evocative imagery, evoking a bared soul, and its applicability to truth-telling ensured its enduring use across English-speaking cultures, from religious sermons to modern therapy sessions.
- Variants
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- Make a clean breast of it
- Make a clean breast
- Clean breast of it
- Come clean with it
- Examples
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- He made a clean breast of it, admitting to his boss that he’d fudged the numbers.
- Make a clean breast, and tell your partner about the mistake you made.
- Clean breast of it—she confessed to her friend about spreading the rumor.
- Come clean with it, or the guilt will eat you up inside.
- They made a clean breast of it, revealing the truth about the project’s delays.
- Making a clean breast of it, he told the police everything he knew.
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