make a clean breast of it






make a clean breast of something = make a clean breast of it

confess your mistakes or wrongdoings

In former times, many people believed that the breast or chest was where a person's conscience was located. The breast is still used metaphorically to represent the seat of the emotions.




Related Idioms and Phrases :



a dog's breakfast = a dog's dinner

a poor piece of work

a mess - British informal

The image is of a dog's meal of jumbled-up scraps.

2000 - Independent - He was rightly sacked because he had made such a dog's dinner of an important job.



have someone for breakfast

deal with or defeat someone with contemptuous ease - Informal



beat your breast



make a great show of sorrow or regret




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