Clean slate
/kliːn sleɪt/
B2
Definition
A "clean slate" is a situation where someone or something starts over without any past mistakes or problems affecting the present. It means erasing all previous records or bad things and having a new chance to do better.
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See It in Action
Starting over without any past mistakes or problems
- •After the argument, they decided to make a clean slate and be friends again.
- •The company gave employees a clean slate after the reorganization.
- •She wanted a clean slate when moving to a new city, forgetting old troubles.
Forgiveness or removal of past faults
- •The teacher offered him a clean slate if he worked harder this semester.
- •The court gave the criminal a clean slate after he served his sentence.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "clean slate" like "new start" but with the idea that all old marks or errors are wiped away completely.
- ✓Picture a blackboard or whiteboard wiped clean, ready for new writing with no old notes left.
- ✓It's the feeling when you get a new notebook on the first day of school—everything is empty and ready for your own work.
- ✓Sounds like "clean" (free from dirt) + "slate" (a flat stone used long ago for writing) → imagine wiping a stone smooth to write again.
- ✓In stories, a character might get a clean slate after being forgiven, meaning they can live without their past mistakes.
- ✓NOT like "continue" (which keeps the past), a clean slate means leaving the past behind fully.
- ✓NOT like "restart" alone, because "clean slate" emphasizes no past problems or blame remain.
- ✓NOT like "erase" by itself, because "clean slate" is a phrase meaning a fresh new beginning, not just the action of erasing.
Try Other Words
- •Fresh start: beginning again with new opportunities (Use when focusing on new chances, less on past removal)
- •New beginning: a time to start something different (Use in general situations of change)
- •Restart: to begin again (Use when action is repeated, but may still have past influence)
- •Wipe the slate clean: to remove past mistakes or problems (Use as a longer phrase meaning the same as "clean slate")
Unboxing
- •Word parts: "clean" (free from dirt or marks) + "slate" (a flat stone once used for writing)
- •Etymology: Comes from the old practice of writing on slate boards, which could be wiped clean to start again
- •Historical development: Used metaphorically since the 19th century to mean starting fresh without past marks or mistakes
- •Modern usage: Commonly used to talk about forgiving past errors or starting new in personal, work, or legal contexts
Reflect & Connect
•How can having a clean slate help people change their behavior or life choices?
•Can a clean slate truly erase all past mistakes, or do some things always stay with us?
Fill in the blanks
1.After the mistake, the teacher gave him a clean slate so he could ___ without fear.
2.People often want a clean slate when they move to a new place to ___ old problems.
3.A clean slate means forgetting ___ and starting fresh.
4.When someone is forgiven, it is like their past faults have been ___ for a clean slate.
5.The company’s policy allowed employees a clean slate, meaning past errors would not ___ their future.
6.Saying "wipe the slate clean" means to ___ all previous mistakes.
7.Starting with a clean slate usually helps people feel ___ and ready to try again.