Clean Trivia Quiz

Answer: Thoroughly cleaning her home

A spring clean is a big job. Annie will be cleaning everything (even behind the fridge) to thoroughly clean her home. The first recorded use of the phrase 'spring clean' was in the mid-nineteenth century. The idea of cleaning in spring may have originated in Ancient Persia, when people would clean their homes in preparation for the new year beginning on the first day of spring.

The Jewish tradition of cleaning the house before Passover also occurs in spring. The phrase can be used as a verb or as a noun, but it metaphorically refers to any big clean, whatever the season.

Answer: squeaky clean.

When referring to Mr. Noir's bath, 'squeaky clean' means very clean. When referring to Mr. Noir's reputation or personality, it means that he is untainted and acts in a morally good way. If Mr. Noir had just got out of the bath after washing his hair, it could be described as squeaky clean (the strands might squeak when rubbed). The use of 'squeaky clean' dates back to the 1960s.

Answer: Come clean

'Coming clean' means being honest. It implies that the negative truth about something has been kept a secret and is now being revealed. The phrase comes from early 20th century American English, with records of its use going back to 1919. Little Johnny should be honest and own up to breaking the window.

Answer: clean bill of health.

Being given a 'clean bill of health' is an informal phrase meaning that you have been told you are healthy. Additionally, it can mean that an authority figure has decided that something (an object, like a car, or abstract concepts, like a country's education system) is in good condition. According to "The Free Dictionary", it can also be used to mean that companies and organisations are 'operating correctly'.

Answer: She had an overwhelming victory.

Skye won the election with all - or at least a very large majority - of the votes. Someone who won all of the events in a competition would have made a clean sweep, too. Hannah Cockroft made a clean sweep at the 2017 World Para-Athletics Championships: she won gold in all of her events.

A 'clean sweep' can also mean getting rid of old things and making a fresh start. The first recorded use of 'clean sweep' was at the start of the nineteenth century.

Answer: wiping the slate clean.

'Wiping the slate clean' means forgetting about bad things that have happened in the past and making a fresh start. In Harpreet's case, she made changes in all aspects of her life and started again. Wiping the slate clean doesn't always have to be that drastic, though.

It could be forgiving a friend who let you down and continuing your relationship as though the bad thing had never happened.

Answer: His escape was too slow and he got caught.

A thief who 'gets away clean' is one who escapes quickly and isn't caught. He doesn't face a punishment for what he has done. The jewel thief in the question was too slow and was caught by the police. A clean getaway can refer to any circumstance where someone escapes a punishment, not just a law-related one. If the thief had burped in public, but no one realised it was him, he could leave the area and get away clean. No one would know he was the burper!

Answer: John Wesley

John Wesley was an Anglican cleric and theologian. He was one of a group of people who founded Methodism in the 18th century. He included the phrase 'cleanliness is next to godliness' in a sermon in 1778. It is the idea that personal hygiene and keeping the home clean are part of a person's moral duty.

Answer: She stopped drinking alcohol and using drugs.

Though 'clean' and 'sober' can be used interchangeably, 'sober' usually refers to a lack of alcohol in someone's system. If Anastaja, a former alcoholic, has been sober for a month, it would mean that she hadn't consumed alcohol in that time. If Anastaja had been clean for a month, she had also stopped taking recreational drugs. 'Clean and Sober' is also a 1988 film starring Michael Keaton.

It's - unsurprisingly - about a man with a cocaine habit.

Answer: Stay out of trouble

To 'keep his nose clean', Raj needs to stay out of trouble. 'Keeping your hands clean' has the same meaning. The phrase comes from a 1688 sermon by John Hales. He says:

'Suppose ye unto your selves some such Man as Epictetus was, let him have all Graces that are, piety only excepted, let him wear out himself with Studies, pine himself with Temperance, keep his Hands clean from Corruption, his Heart from unchaste Desires.'

In his sermon, John Hale discusses the idea that a place in heaven can't be bought by doing a list of good things. Originally the phrase meant to be free of moral corruption, but now it often refers to following the law and staying out of prison.