clear the table
IdiomsExample Sentences
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Out of politeness, you extend this assumption even if you’ve seen the teller sprint for the sofa at family gatherings when the time comes to clear the table or grab a broom.
From Salon
And the other one is not much of a cook, but we’re like, “You set the table, you clear the table,” he has to do the dishes.
From Los Angeles Times
And the energy around the meeting has been supercharged by the surprisingly soft inflation data that saw traders all but clear the table of any remaining rate hike bets.
From Reuters
Do you have a public health duty to clear the table and send everyone home?
From Washington Post
That claim would appear to sweep away the New York Film Festival showings of “Bridge of Spies” and “Lincoln,” the Cannes premieres of “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” and “The BFG,” and the South by Southwest bow of “Ready Player One,” but hey, sometimes you’ve got to clear the table before you can set it.
From New York Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.