What does "Clean as a whistle" mean?

Completely innocent; free from guilt or wrongdoing. Having no criminal record, no evidence of guilt—thoroughly innocent or free of suspicion.

How do you use "Clean as a whistle" in a sentence?

They investigated but he came out clean as a whistle. Her record is clean as a whistle. The audit showed they're clean as a whistle.

Clean as a whistle

Slang Term BritishAmericanAustralian ★★★★☆ Common Neutral

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Meaning: Completely innocent; free from guilt or wrongdoing.

完全清白；没有罪行或过错。

Completamente inocente; libre de culpa o fechorías.

完全に潔白、罪がない。

완전히 결백한; 죄나 잘못이 없는.

Having no criminal record, no evidence of guilt—thoroughly innocent or free of suspicion.

没有犯罪记录，没有任何有罪证据——彻底清白或无嫌疑。

Sin antecedentes penales, sin pruebas de culpabilidad: totalmente inocente o libre de sospechas.

前科がなく、有罪の証拠もない。完全に無実、または疑いの余地がない。

전과 기록도 없고 유죄의 증거도 없는—철저히 결백하거나 혐의가 없는.

Literal meaning: As clean as a whistle

Examples

They investigated but he came out clean as a whistle.
他们调查了，但他完全清白
Lo investigaron pero salió completamente limpio
調査したが、彼は完全に潔白だった
조사했지만 그는 완전히 결백했다.
Her record is clean as a whistle.
她的记录一干二净
Su expediente está impecable
彼女の経歴はまったく問題ない
그녀의 이력은 흠잡을 데가 없다.
The audit showed they're clean as a whistle.
审计显示他们完全清白
La auditoría demostró que están completamente limpios
監査で彼らは完全にクリーンだと判明した
감사 결과 그들은 완전히 깨끗한 것으로 밝혀졌다.

Pronunciation

/kliːn æz ə ˈwɪsl/

Usage Guide

Context: innocence, investigation, cleared

Tone: relieved, vindicating

✓ Do Say

Clean as a whistle.
一干二净
Limpio como una patena
完全に潔白
티끌 하나 없이 깨끗하다.
Came out clean as a whistle.
查出来完全清白
Salió completamente limpio
潔白と判明した
완전히 결백하게 나왔다.
Record's clean as a whistle.
记录干干净净
Expediente impecable
経歴はまったくクリーン
이력이 흠잡을 데 없다.

✗ Don't Say

Completely innocent
Completely innocent（完全无辜）
Completely innocent（Completamente inocente）
Completely innocent（完全に無実）
완전히 결백한
No evidence found
No evidence found（未发现证据）
No evidence found（No se encontraron pruebas）
No evidence found（証拠は見つからなかった）
증거가 발견되지 않은

Common Mistakes

Can also mean physically clean/spotless
Often used after investigation

Origin & History

Possibly from a new whistle being clean and shiny, or from the clear sound a clean whistle makes.

Etymology: English idiom, origin debated

First recorded: 19th century

Cultural Context

Era: 19th century to present

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal

Pop culture: Legal dramas; Police investigations

Regional notes: Universal English expression.

Variations

Clean as a whistleSqueaky clean