make a clean breast of it

Cultural  

1. To make a full confession: “The judge will give the convict a lighter sentence if he makes a clean breast of his involvement with the crime.”

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Example Sentences

I did read — to make a clean breast of it — a King piece about Little League baseball that The New Yorker published in the early nineties.

From Salon • Jul. 6, 2012

If you owe more tax, the 1040X lets you make a clean breast of it.

From Time Magazine Archive

But Ehrlichman will claim that he personally took no part in cover-up activities and kept urging that anyone involved "make a clean breast of it."

From Time Magazine Archive

"Either you or I must make a clean breast of it to Sedbergh!"

From The Honour of the Clintons by Marshall, Archibald

I'll make a clean breast of it; the only way I can see out of the mess I'm in is to make a bolt for it, and I'm going to bolt; there you have it.

From A Woman Perfected by Marsh, Richard