clean up (one's) act

clean up (one's) act

To improve one's behavior. After I got in yet another fight at school, the headmaster told me that I had to clean up my act or else I'd be expelled.

See also: act, clean, up

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

clean up your act

COMMON If a person or organization cleans up their act, they stop behaving badly or illegally. The Minister warned the press that privacy laws would be implemented unless newspapers cleaned up their act. There is enormous corruption in the game, but the game does not want to clean up its act.

See also: act, clean, up

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

clean up your act

behave in a more acceptable manner. informal

See also: act, clean, up

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

clean up your ˈact

(informal) start behaving in a moral or responsible way: He cleaned up his act and gave up the cigarettes and alcohol.

See also: act, clean, up

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

clean up (one's) act

Slang

To improve one's behavior or performance.

See also: act, clean, up

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.