take to the cleaners

Take or cheat one out of all of one's money or possessions, as in Her divorce lawyer took him to the cleaners , or That broker has taken a number of clients to the cleaners . [ Slang ; early 1900s]
Drub, beat up, as in He didn't just push you—he took you to the cleaners . [ Slang ; early 1900s]

Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

So her husband had put the dress in his trunk along with his wife’s veil, and given it to her by her mother-in-law to take to the cleaners.

Her husband had put the dress in his trunk along with his wife’s veil, given to her by her mother-in-law, to take to the cleaners.

These include clean out or clean up, roast, stuff, straighten, mop up, chew up, have for breakfast, take to the cleaners and wipe the floor with.

From BBC

Browse