Idiom
Clean slate
A clean slate is a fresh start, with past mistakes, debts or problems forgotten or set aside.
How people use it
Common patterns are "start with a clean slate," "wipe the slate clean" and "give someone a clean slate." People use it for new jobs, new school years, forgiven debts and friendships after an argument. It is positive and neutral in tone. The Latin phrase "tabula rasa," meaning a scraped or blank tablet, is related but is mostly used in philosophy for a mind that has no ideas yet. A clean slate is about the past being cleared, not about having no experience.
Also said: wipe the slate clean, start with a clean slate.
Examples
- The new coach told every player they were starting with a clean slate.
- After paying off his credit card, Leo felt like he had a clean slate.
- Let's wipe the slate clean and forget about last week's argument.
Where it comes from
In the past, students, shopkeepers and tavern owners wrote on small slates with chalk. A tavern keeper might keep a running list of a customer's debts on a slate, and wiping it clean erased the record. Students also wiped their slates between lessons. The figurative sense of a fresh start is recorded from the 1800s.
Check yourself
1. If your boss gives you a clean slate, what happens?
Answer: Your past mistakes are forgotten. A clean slate means a fresh start with the past set aside.
2. Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Answer: Moving to a new school gave Omar a clean slate.. A new school is a fresh start, which matches the idiom.
Similar idioms
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