clean act up

clean (one's) act up

To improve one's behavior. After I got in yet another fight at school, the headmaster told me that I had to clean my act up or else I'd be expelled. Man, you better clean your act up before you end up with a criminal record. My goodness, Edward, the time to clean your act up was before getting involved in another public scandal!

See also: act, clean, up

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

clean one's act up

to reform one's conduct; to improve one's performance. We were told to clean our act up or move out. I cleaned up my act, but not in time. I got kicked out.

See also: act, clean, up

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.