Clean as a Whistle
Most of us like our houses clean as a whistle. Cleaning takes a lot of elbow grease, but everything looks good when we finish.
Clean as a whistle has more than one meaning.
It refers to things, like houses or offices.
We try to keep them:
- Neat
- Dirt-free
- Organized
- Spotless
If we let things slide too long without cleaning, they require much more work.
In addition, it means all of anything or entirely.
We might:
- Eat a cake – the whole thing
- Complete a race – all of it
- Finish the yard work – with nothing left to do
Clean as a whistle also refers to people.
If we are clean as a whistle, we:
- Obey the law
- Have high morals
- Mind our Ps and Qs
We live as we should.
Clean as a whistle’s origin remains uncertain.
It many have come from an earlier simile, clear as a whistle. A whistle’s sound is fairly clear. Whatever the origin, clean as a whistle challenges us to live pure lives.
“All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure” (1John 3:3 NIV).
Thanks to Carole Fite for the suggestion. Image by elbgau from Pixabay.
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